Who Are the New Arrests in the Murshidabad Violence Case?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Two more suspects arrested in Murshidabad violence case.
- Communal tensions have heightened in the region.
- Waqf (Amendment) Act protests turned violent.
- Significant damage reported to Hindu properties.
- Central forces deployed following court order.
Kolkata, June 17 (NationPress) The special investigation team (SIT) of West Bengal Police, examining the case of communal unrest in Murshidabad, announced on Tuesday that they apprehended two additional suspects linked to the incident.
The individuals have been named as Kaiser Sheikh and Mostakin Sheikh, both hailing from Sulitala village in the Dhuliyan region, which was significantly impacted during the disturbances.
An official revealed that these suspects played a key role in inciting the local populace to demonstrate against the newly introduced Waqf (Amendment) Act, further prompting them to engage in riots, arson, and acts of vandalism.
Following the outbreak of violence, complaints were swiftly lodged against them at the local police station, but both managed to evade capture.
On Tuesday, they were brought before a district court in Murshidabad, where the judge approved the public prosecutor's request for their police custody.
The areas of Murshidabad such as Suti, Dhuliyan, Raghunathganj, and Samserganj experienced severe ramifications from the communal unrest, which escalated after protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act devolved into violence.
A significant number of shops and homes belonging to Hindus were damaged and burned, with several Hindu religious sites also being desecrated. The most devastating incident occurred in Jafrabad village, where a father and son, Hargobindo Das and Chandan Das, were brutally attacked by rioters.
The tensions erupted on April 8, prompting the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) on the night of April 12, following a directive from a special division bench of the Calcutta High Court established to address the Murshidabad violence.
In their ruling, the special bench noted that the situation in Murshidabad could have been mitigated had the state government acted sooner to deploy central forces.