The Calcutta High Court on Saturday ordered Central Armed Police Forces to be deployed in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district after three persons died in violence that broke out during protests against Waqf Amendment Act, Bar and Bench reported.
Murshidabad has been roiled by protests over the past few days against the Act, which have turned violent.
The bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party Suvendu Adhikari and lawyer Tarun Jyoti seeking the deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces, The Hindu reported.
Measures taken by the state government to curb the violence were not adequate and action had to be taken on a war footing to arrest the rioters, the bench said.
“Constitutional courts cannot be a mute spectator and embroil itself in technical defences when the safety and security of the people are at danger,” Bar and Bench quoted the court as saying.
The bench said that deploying the Central Armed Police Forces earlier could have de-escalated the situation and added that it appeared that adequate measures had not been taken in time.
The recent changes to the law curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them.
On Saturday, Harogobindo Das and his son, Chandan Das, both reportedly workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), were found dead at their house in Jafrabad of Samserganj. The two had multiple stab wounds.
In addition, a 21-year-old, Ijaz Momin, died on Saturday from bullet wounds sustained during clashes at Suti on Friday, reports The Wire.
The West Bengal Police said that 12 more persons had been arrested on Sunday in connection with the violent protests against the Waqf Act in Murshidabad district, PTI reported. This took the total number of those arrested to 150.
