Kolkata: As Murshidabad limped back to normalcy, fresh violence broke out in West Bengal on Monday – this time in South 24 Parganas district — during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025.
Supporters of Indian Secular Front (ISF) clashed with police in Bhangar. Several persons and some cops were injured, and multiple police vehicles were torched in a repeat of scenes witnessed in Murshidabad last weekend, PTI reported.
It all started after ISF supporters were stopped from marching heading towards Ramlila Maidan in central Kolkata to attend an anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act rally addressed by party leader and Bhangar MLA Naushad Siddique.
As the crowd attempted to break through police barricades, the two sides clashed.
“Some police vehicles were set on fire by the protesters, and a few police personnel were injured when the agitators attacked the law enforcers,” a senior police officer said.
Traffic on Basanti highway was brought to a standstill as ISF supporters sat on the road in protest.
Watch the video posted on X by PTI:
VIDEO | West Bengal: Tension in South 24 Parganas’ Bhangar as Indian Secular Front (ISF) workers clashed with city police. They also set a van ablaze. More details awaited.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/bnF8OnGu37) pic.twitter.com/fk17Jufpl3
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 14, 2025
A large police force was deployed to bring the situation under control.
According to eyewitnesses, police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the protesters as the proposed rally didn’t have police permission, PTI reported.
However, Siddique still addressed the gathering at Ramlila Maidan, slamming the Waqf (Amendment) Act and demanding its immediate withdrawal.
“This law is not just an attack on Muslims, it is an assault on the Constitution. We won’t accept this Act. The government that supports such laws must go,” he said.
ISF accused BJP of trying to incite communal tension and Trinamool Congress of suppressing opposition protests.
“The chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) has said the new Waqf law will not be implemented in West Bengal. We welcome that. But then why are police stopping our workers from attending a peaceful rally? Does the right to protest belong only to the Trinamool Congress?” he asked.
