The West Bengal Police has set up a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the recent outbreak of violence in Murshidabad district, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The SIT includes an Additional Superintendent of Police from the Intelligence Branch, two Deputy Superintendents — one from the Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) and the other from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), five inspectors (four from the CID and one from the Traffic Police), along with the officer in charge of the Cyber Crime Police Station under Sundarban Police District.
The unrest erupted on April 11 during a protest against the newly introduced Waqf Amendment Act. Demonstrations turned violent, leading to the deaths of at least three individuals, including a father and son, and causing significant property damage. One person was reportedly killed in police firing.
Chairman of the West Bengal Minorities Commission, Ahmed Hassan Imran, condemned the violence, stressing the importance of peaceful protest. “Mamata Banerjee rightly suggested that we should protest in Delhi. Even TMC MPs will join. But violent demonstrations are unacceptable,” he stated.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met with Muslim clerics in Kolkata, where she announced compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the families of those killed in the violence. She also directed the Chief Secretary to submit a detailed report on the incident.
In response to the situation, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs deployed around 900 personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF) to the affected areas, with 300 already stationed locally.
So far, police have arrested 150 individuals linked to the violence. Heavy security remains in place in vulnerable regions like Samserganj and Dhuliyan.
On Monday, Additional Director General of Police (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar assured the public that the situation had stabilized. “Everything is under control now. Forces from CRPF, state police, and joint units are on the ground. A control room has been set up to respond to any concerns,” he said.
