Bengal Waqf protest: Analysing the anatomy of violence

West Bengal saw a fresh bout of violence in Bhangar area in South 24 Parganas district on Monday over the Waqf Amendment Act even as police claimed that law and order situation in the previous riot epicentre of Murshidabad remained largely under control.

Following the Calcutta High Court's directive, Central forces have been deployed in several areas of the Murshidabad district since April 12. Police forces are investigating the incidents claiming there was a pattern in the violence that erupted in Suti, Raghunathganj, Dhuliyan and Shamserganj. 

What started as a regular protest against the controversial Waqf Bill soon turned into full-blown violence. 

Speaking to HT, a senior police officer said, “It all started on April 7 with a rally at Suti against the new Waqf Amendment Act. On April 8, mobs suddenly attacked the police and set police vehicles on fire at Raghunathganj. NH-12, a vital road that connects north and south Bengal, was blocked for hours."

Internet was turned off in the areas and an assembly of five or more people was prohibited under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code. However, this did not deter violence from breaking out in other parts. 

According to the police officer cited by the publication, while police personnel were engaged in preventing property damage and ensuring NH-12 remained operational, Jafrabad was attacked and homes in Samserganj were ransacked and looted. Police were unable to respond to distress calls from Jafrabad village which is just 2.3 km from Samserganj. 

It took four hours for the police to arrive at the scene of the mob attack on April 11 night, according to 64-year-old Parul Das who witnessed the deaths of her 40-year-old son Chandan and 72-year-old husband Haragobindo Das, the publication reported. 

Jawed Shamim, Additional Director General of Police, conceded that the size of the mobs and magnitude of violence presented a difficulty to the police. 

An important point to note is the involvement of a large number of minor boys between the ages of 10 and 17, the publication reported based on the observation of another police officer. 

Speculations are rife among officials that the violence in Murshidabad is connected to the presence of 4,000 Waqf properties in the area that have been "illegally" occupied. 

Murshidabad and Malda had witnessed violent anti-CAA and NRC protests too given its large Muslim population. 

Intelligence sources speaking to CNN-News 18 have drawn a parallel between the protests against the Waqf Amendment Act and those against the Citizenship Amendment Act that India witnessed in 2019. 

The sources have alleged that a "toolkit" similar to the one employed during the anti-CAA protests were used during the Waqf protests. Messaging apps such as Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp are being used to organise the protests, delegate roles and share real-time instructions. 

Encrypted groups were used by protestors to coordinate attacks on the police stations in Murshidabad, as per the report.  

A "toolkit" acts as a way to help mobilise protestors, disseminate information on the cause and nature of the campaign. They were widely used in the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protest, 2019 Hong Kong movement, Black Lives Matter of 2020, etc. 

CAA protests saw blockades, railway infrastructures being attacked and communal slogans used. In a similar vein, the Waqf protests also employed the same tactics, as per the sources cited in the publication. 

They also alleged that weapons - stoned, petrol bombs - blockade material  like tyres and bamboo poles, and medical supplies that were used were strategically placed before the situation flared up. They stated that stones were concealed close to the railway lines in Howrah during the CAA protests.

As per the report, social media hashtags such as 'BengalBurning' were employed to spread the narrative. The sources have also claimed that similar to what happened during the anti-CAA-NRC protest, foreign interference cannot be ruled out.