New Delhi: Did illegal Bangladeshi immigrants instigate violence in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Friday and Saturday, resulting in at least three deaths, injuries to scores – including policemen – and loss of property worth crores?
According to ANI, a report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirms this. The report allegedly states that the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were involved in attacks on Hindu families at locations close to the International Border (IB), in a bid to dislodge them and occupy their property.
It has also been stated in the report that several Hindu families were forced to flee to the Malda district. On Monday, Ravi Gandhi, additional director general, Eastern Command, Border Security Force (BSF), visited several displaced families and assured them of all assistance.
Among those killed was a father-son duo in remote Jafrabad, Samserganj, close to the IB. Major violence also took place in Dhulian and Suti. Several victims claimed that they were ordered to flee or face death by mobs protesting against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
“It seems that they were looking for an opportunity to strike. On April 7, mobs resorted to violence in Murshidabad, in the name of protests against Israel’s attack on Palestinians. Two police vehicles were gutted in that violence. The criminals then turned their attention to the Waqf (Amendment) Act and started the riots,” a senior MHA official said.
The illegal infiltration of Bangladeshis has been a contentious issue in West Bengal. While the BJP has accused the state government of providing support to such people, in the form of fake identity documents, the Trinamool Congress has hit back by pointing out that the IB is guarded by the BSF, a force under the MHA.
The MHA, however, claims that the state government has provided no support in the relocation of zero-line villages or acquisition of land for Border Outposts. Much of the IB along Malda and Murshidabad is riverine and unfenced, leading to major problems in border management.
