Synopsis
On April 13, two BJP Lok Sabha MPs from West Bengal reached out to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address the ongoing tensions in Murshidabad. The unrest has stemmed from violent protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, which targeted Hindus. The MPs called for immediate intervention and deployment of central forces.Key Takeaways
- Two BJP MPs wrote to Amit Shah about Murshidabad tensions.
- The unrest is linked to protests against the Waqf Act.
- Calls for CAPF deployment to restore peace.
- Comparison made to the Kashmiri Pandit exodus.
- Request for AFSPA in districts near Bangladesh.
Kolkata, April 13 (NationPress) Two BJP Lok Sabha representatives from West Bengal wrote individual letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, urging intervention in the escalating tensions in Murshidabad district. This unrest has intensified over the past few days following protests against the newly enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, which turned violent and specifically targeted Hindus.
The MPs who reached out to HM Shah include Jagannath Sarkar from the Ranaghat Lok Sabha constituency in Nadia district and Jyotirmay Singh Mahato from the Purulia constituency.
In his correspondence, Sarkar criticized the West Bengal state administration for its inaction during the outbreak of tensions.
His concerns mirrored the remarks made by a special division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Saturday, which stated that the actions taken by the West Bengal government to manage communal unrest in Murshidabad were insufficient.
The bench ordered the immediate deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in Murshidabad, noting that had the CAPF been deployed sooner, the situation might not have escalated to such a “grave” and “volatile” state.
Sarkar also urged HM Shah to send a high-level “investigating and monitoring” team from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to evaluate the situation on the ground in Murshidabad and other troubled regions.
Meanwhile, Mahato, in his letter, expressed that the fear, isolation, and targeted violence faced by Bengali Hindus in these areas remind him of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of the 1990s.
He stated, “The tragic silence of the administration, deliberate targeting of a religious community, propaganda-driven unrest are all too familiar.” Mahato also requested that HM Shah contemplate declaring the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in specific districts of West Bengal bordering Bangladesh, including Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia, and South 24 Parganas, under Section 3 of the AFSPA Act, 1958.
