Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the deployment of central paramilitary forces in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district to curb escalating communal violence triggered by protests over the Waqf Amendment Act.
The decision followed a special hearing convened on a court holiday after BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari filed a PIL seeking urgent central intervention. A division bench comprising Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Raja Basu Chaudhary heard the matter and issued the directive.
Despite the West Bengal government’s claim that the situation was under control—with 138 arrests and the DGP deployed to the region—the court emphasized that it “cannot close its eyes” to reports of large-scale unrest.
Violence had erupted in several districts, including Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly, where mobs clashed with police, torched vehicles, and disrupted public life. The court ordered that both state police and central forces coordinate efforts to restore peace, particularly in the flashpoint area of Jangipur in Murshidabad.
