West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: The governor stated that the “twin spectres of radicalisation and militancy” posed a serious challenge to West Bengal.
He suggested the constitution of a commission to probe the recent communal clashes during the violent protests against the new law, as well as the establishment of the outposts of the Border Security Force or any other central paramilitary force in the districts along the border between India and Bangladesh.
He refrained from recommending the promulgation of President’s Rule in West Bengal but noted that the provisions under Article 356 of the Constitution remained to be used by the Centre in case of further deterioration of law and order in the State.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed the report submitted by the governor, although the ruling Trinamool Congress called it a “politically motivated” move.
“This is the report of his political assignment. He knows the situation is under control, and that is why he mentioned that if the situation deteriorates, the provision of Art 356 is open,” Kunal Ghosh, the TMC spokesperson, said.
"We are grateful to the governor for submitting the report,” Shamik Bhattacharya, the state BJP spokesperson, said.
Three people were killed, and several others, including cops, were injured, as the protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, turned violent in Murshidabad and some other places in West Bengal in India on April 11 and 12.
The protesters clashed with the police personnel, burnt government vehicles and ransacked government offices. The protests also led to communal clashes, and houses and shops were set ablaze at Suti, Samserganj, Dhulian and Jangipur in Murshidabad, forcing hundreds of people to flee and take refuge in Malda.
Normalcy started returning to Murshidabad since April 13, with paramilitary forces joining police in maintaining law and order.
Banerjee is likely to visit Murshidabad on Monday.
Bose, in his report, stated that “intensifying political rivalry between the ruling party and the opposition” had led to both sides “increasingly leveraging religious identity to consolidate their voter bases...The narrative is now religion driven”.
"The divisions are so deep that even in the face of escalation of violence, the chief minister’s repeated undertaking that she would protect minority interests, and that the Act would not be implemented in the state, have done little to assuage the Muslim community or stem the tide. It is imperative that the rule of law must be firmly established, and the police must prevent violence," Bose wrote in the report.
Going by the state's history of political clashes, there is a possibility that the Murshidabad violence would spill over to other districts, he said.
After the Waqf (Amendment) Act was notified on April 8, conflagration unfolded in Murshidabad district and continued for several days, Bose noted in his report, adding that the authorities suspended internet services on the same day.
"Thus, the state government was aware of the imminent build-up of threat to law and order in Murshidabad," he alleged.
"The sequence of events shows woeful lack of coordination among administration and law enforcement agencies that were either too feeble to rise to the challenge or were reluctant to do so," he said.