Murshidabad violence: Calcutta HC appointed panel says police were inactive at some places

Kolkata: A report by a committee set up by the Calcutta High Court for identification and rehabilitation of victims of anti-Waqf protests-related violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district said that the local police were "inactive and absent" during the incidents at Dhulian on April 11.

It also mentioned that a local councillor directed the attacks at Dhulian town in Murshidabad.

The report, submitted to the high court by the three-member committee, stated that a garments mall in Dhulian was also looted.

Noting that the "main attack" occurred on the afternoon of April 11, the report said "Local police were completely inactive and absent."

The panel, comprising Joginder Singh, Registrar, (Law), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Satya Arnab Ghosal, member secretary, West Bengal Legal Services Authority (WBLSA) and Saugata Chakraborty, Registrar, WBJS, submitted the report to the high court last week after visiting the affected areas and speaking to the victims as directed by the division bench hearing the matter.

The high court had on April 17 ordered the formation of the committee for the identification and rehabilitation of people displaced by the violence during the protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in Murshidabad district.

The division bench, comprising justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury, noted that the committee had stated in its report that appointing qualified valuation experts is the only possible remedy to the state's failure to protect a section of its citizens.

"The victims of the affected areas need individualised and customised rehabilitation packages and for this, securing the services of valuation experts appears to be the sine qua non (an essential condition),” it said, according to the court.

Another report earlier submitted by the West Bengal government to the division bench hearing the petitions related to the Murshidabad violence detailed widespread incidents of violence between April 8 and April 12 by mobs in connection with protests over the Waqf Act.

It stated that following intervention by the police and civil administration, the situation in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur was under control.

The report said that agitational programmes over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 started on April 4 in all police station areas of Jangipur police district in Murshidabad district.

It stated that the protests turned violent from April 8.

The report said that two persons - Haragobinda Das and his son Chandan Das - were killed by a mob on April 12 at Jafrabad under Samserganj police station.

It stated that central forces were deployed in Samserganj on April 11 as the situation went out of control, and thereafter more CAPF were deployed on orders of the high court on April 12.