NHRC team visits relief camp in Malda, Governor heads to meet victims

The NHRC members, who took suo motu cognisance of the recent violence in Murshidabad that broke out during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, took note after talking to members of the affected families staying at the camp at the Par Lal Pur High School in Malda.

Malda: An NHRC team on Friday visited a relief camp in Malda to meet those displaced by the Murshidabad riots, while Governor C V Ananda Bose defying Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's request to defer his trip, set out for the district—prompting the TMC to allege a BJP-backed attempt to provoke further unrest.

The NHRC team visited the Par Lalpur High School in Malda, where hundreds of displaced persons have taken shelter since communal clashes erupted in Murshidabad on April 11 and 12 during protests against the central government's amendments to the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

The Commission, which took suo motu cognisance of the violence, said it decided to send a fact-finding team in view of the "seriousness of the situation" and has sought a detailed inquiry report within three weeks.

Officials confirmed that three people were killed in the violence that spread across Muslim-majority areas like Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur in Murshidabad district.

Several residents, fearing for their lives, fled to neighbouring Malda and are now living in makeshift relief camps.

Governor Bose left for Malda this morning despite the chief minister's request to delay his visit in the interest of maintaining calm.

"I am going to the field," Bose told reporters before boarding a train to Malda.

"I am going there to meet the victims and verify the reports that we have received from the ground. I will visit hospitals, the residences of the victims, and the relief camps. Central forces and state police are working together to restore normalcy. After meeting the victims, I will submit my recommendations," he said.

The governor also stated that he would proceed to Murshidabad after completing his visit to Malda.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar also began a two-day tour of Malda and Murshidabad to assess the impact of the violence on women and inspect rehabilitation efforts.

"We have received reports that women in the affected areas and relief camps are not being treated properly. The NCW has formed an inquiry committee. We will speak to the victims and assess the situation before submitting a detailed report," Rahatkar said in Kolkata before leaving.

The NCW team will spend the night in Malda and head to Murshidabad on Saturday. The panel is expected to meet district officials, victims, and eventually call on the Governor, Chief Secretary, and DGP in Kolkata on Sunday.

The TMC, which rules the state, sharply criticised the Governor and the visiting central teams, accusing them of attempting to destabilise the situation for political gains.

"When the CM had requested him, he should have honoured it. But his intention is to create tensions in the area and create trouble. The NCW and NHRC teams are also visiting the area to help the BJP foment more trouble and don't want restoration of normalcy in the area," TMC MP Sougata Roy said.

Hitting back at the Trinamool Congress, BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the ruling party is nervous because the visits by the NHRC and the Governor might uncover the "nexus between the TMC and the rioters", who, he alleged, are being protected and appeased for vote-bank politics.

"The TMC is panicking because they know these visits will expose their links with those behind the violence. They are shielding the culprits for the sake of minority vote-bank politics," Majumdar told PTI.

Tensions briefly escalated at the Par Lalpur camp in Malda, where angry residents surrounded district officials, alleging that they were being pressured to leave the camp.

"Life in this camp is no better than prison," one of the camp residents said.

"They’re trying to force us to return home, but it's still unsafe. We want BSF camps in our localities in Dhulian before we consider going back," he said.

Security has been tightened across the affected areas, with paramilitary forces deployed alongside the state police.

So far, 274 people have been arrested for alleged involvement in the violence.

The communal clashes in Murshidabad erupted during protests by sections of the Muslim community against amendments to the Waqf Act, which they allege would lead to centralisation and misuse of Muslim charitable properties.