In many states, where the situation is seen as sensitive, the local police had increased patrolling in select areas and increased its interaction with the community representatives to sensitize them about the Waqf Act. This was, however, not done by the West Bengal police in an ‘efficient and professional’ manner.
NEW DELHI: The failure of the West Bengal police and state administration to deter and control any violence which takes a communal shape has a very strong potential of attracting ultra-Islamic groups that have become stronger in the neighbouring Bangladesh post August 2024.
The border between Bangladesh and West Bengal stretches approximately 2,217 kilometres, making it the longest segment of the India-Bangladesh border.
The violence in Murshidabad began when some individuals from one community, protesting the Waqf Amendment Act, initiated attacks on police personnel and vandalized public property, while taking part in a rally. Over time, these incidents escalated and took on a communal dimension, further intensifying tensions in the region.
The violence, which has claimed three lives and resulted in the arrest of over 200 individuals, has caused significant displacement in the Muslim-majority Murshidabad district. Many affected residents have crossed the Bhagirathi river to seek refuge in the neighbouring Malda district amidst the communal unrest.
Among the places that have been affected by the violence are Dhulian, Suti, Samserganj and Jangipur of Murshidabad. As per the 2011 census, more than 67% of the population in these areas follow Islam. This number now, as per officials, is likely around 75%.
The dead includes 21-year-old Ijaz Ahmad who died from bullet injuries sustained in Suti during clashes allegedly instigated by Social Democratic Party of India members, while Hargobindo Das and his son Chandan Das were killed by a mob of around 150-200 armed individuals in Jafrabad village of Samserganj subdivision, with brothers Dildar Nadab and Kalu Nadab arrested in connection with their murder.
As per the 2011 census, Dhulian, with a population of 95,713, had a Muslim majority of approximately 78.19%. Suti, divided into Suti I and Suti II blocks, hosts a combined population of over 300,000, where Muslims form over 70% of the community. Samserganj, primarily known for its beedi industry, has about 83.48% of its 250,000 residents identifying as Muslim. Jangipur subdivision, which includes the town of Jangipur and has a total population of around 1.97 million, reflects a slightly lower Muslim percentage of 61.79%.
The large-scale violence started on Friday, 11 April, with local eye witnesses stating that many of the rioters were not locals and attacked properties belonging to members of both Muslim and Hindu communities, suggesting that the violence was not specific to anger against the Waqf Act but was penetrated by criminal elements.
Murshidabad shares a border of approximately 125 kilometres with Bangladesh. This includes 42 kilometres of land boundary and the rest as a riverine boundary formed by the Padma river and its connected streams.
The Waqf Amendment Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 3 April, more than one week before the violence erupted in West Bengal.
Official sources said that local administrations across the country were aware of the possibility of the Waqf Bill being used as a pretext to instigate people to carry out violent activities. In many states, where the situation is seen as sensitive, the local police had increased patrolling in select areas and increased its interaction with the community representatives to sensitize them.
This was, however, not done by the West Bengal police in an “efficient and professional” manner, an official source with a central intelligence agency told The Sunday Guardian, which became evident when the violence broke out, with the state police later admitting that it was not prepared.
Acting on the communications received from the Centre was more important for districts like Murshidabad which lies on the international border and is an epicentre of cross-border illegal migration of Bangladeshi nationals whose numbers, over the years, has significantly changed the demographic structure.
According to intelligence officials, the forced resignation of Sheikh Hasina and the resultant political vacuum has allowed radical Islamist groups to regain ground, with increased anti-India rhetoric and border vulnerabilities becoming prominent concerns. With the removal of Hasina, these radical Islamic elements can easily supervise disruptive activities in West Bengal without fear of any repercussions from Dhaka.
Official sources said Islamist parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam have expanded their influence rapidly in the last few months, particularly in rural areas and border districts which are now becoming visible in West Bengal.
Hefazat-e-Islam is a Deobandi Islamist advocacy group in Bangladesh, established in 2010. It primarily consists of religious teachers and students from Qawmi madrasas. The group gained prominence for its 13-point demand in 2013, which included calls for stricter blasphemy laws, gender segregation, and the removal of secular elements from the constitution. Hefazat has been involved in various protests, including anti-France demonstrations and opposition to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh.
Similarly, the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which was almost wiped out under Hasina, is now active again. It has a history of terror activities in West Bengal, particularly in border districts like Murshidabad, Malda and Nadia. One of the most notable incidents was the 2014 Burdwan blast, where an accidental explosion in a house revealed a full-fledged JMB module operating in the region. The investigation uncovered a network involved in manufacturing explosives and planning attacks, with links to Bangladesh.
JMB has a track record of radicalizing youth through unregulated madrasas and sleeper cells. Their activities often exploit socioeconomic vulnerabilities and communal tensions, making the border areas a hotspot for their operations.
According to Central security officials, leaders of sensitive states like West Bengal need to realise that due to their geographical location, these states are more susceptible to foreign interference and exploiting of fault lines which are routinely analysed by inimical foreign agencies for flaring it up whenever opportunity presents itself. When this happens, it has been seen in a majority of cases that the state police and administration fail to control the resulting violence which created a deep divide among the population in the long run.
Of the 22 MLAs in Murshidabad, 20 are from the TMC. The local Members of Parliament too—Khaliur Rahman (Jangipur), Yusuf Pathan (Baharampur) and Abu Taher Khan (Murshidabad)—are also from the TMC. Yet none of them was able to intervene effectively to stop the violence, with a few of them even having to leave their home to escape the angry protestors including TMC MLA from Farraka, Manirul Islam whose house was attacked on 11 April.
This is being seen as an indication of the level of radicalization that has happened in some of these areas with even people’s representatives becoming helpless.