North 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India]: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to visit Murshidabad on Monday, weeks after violent unrest rocked the district during a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
West Bengal Agriculture Minister Shobandeb Chatterjee confirmed the visit, stating that the Chief Minister had earlier refrained from going due to security concerns.
“Our leader, Mamata Banerjee, has been saying this since day one that it has been very difficult for leaders to go to that area. Let the police do their job…There is peace there now, let them live in peace…What needs to be done is being done…she is going to tell everyone how they can live together,” Chatterjee told reporters.
The situation in Murshidabad escalated on April 11, when a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent, leading to the deaths of two individuals, numerous injuries, and significant property damage. Thousands of residents were displaced, fleeing the area in fear.
On April 26, BJP MP Tarun Chugh accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of shielding the perpetrators and turning a blind eye to the violence.
“The West Bengal government’s silence on the premeditated and planned attack on Hindus in Murshidabad is proof that Mamata Banerjee’s government has given shelter to the rioters,” Chugh said in a statement to ANI.
He further criticized Banerjee, alleging that law and order in the state has deteriorated under her leadership.
“Mamata Banerjee has ruined and disgraced Bengal with her atrocities and misrule… This (Murshidabad violence) is a blot on humanity. Her politics of appeasement have given a free hand to criminals in the state,” he added.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also raised alarms over the incidents, expressing deep concern about reports of sexual violence, physical assault, and rape threats faced by women and girls in both Murshidabad and Malda districts during the unrest.