The political clash between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee grew stronger on Tuesday, as the BJP launched a fresh attack after reports of violence emerged from Murshidabad.

Violence broke out in Murshidabad on Tuesday during a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. According to reports, the protest turned into a clash between the demonstrators and the police. People threw stones, and some police vehicles were set on fire. Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, shared a video on social media platform X that reportedly shows scenes of the clashes. In his post, he accused the state government of doing "vote bank politics."

“Antisocial elements are taking to the streets, burning government & public properties and spreading chaos in the name of protest. This is not dissent, it’s destruction and is absolutely unconstitutional. The WB government and administration are failing to maintain law & order, because they are deliberately turning a blind eye to protect the ruling party’s vote bank,” said Adhikari in a post on X. Adhikari asked the state’s Chief Secretary and the Union Home Ministry to send central forces to the area, saying the local police are clearly unable to control the situation. Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s IT department and a key figure for the party in West Bengal, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has gone silent and is trying to cover up the reality. 

“When violence breaks out in other states, Mamata Banerjee is quick to shed crocodile tears and stage dramatic protests. But when her own vote bank runs riot in Murshidabad, she goes silent – and shuts down internet services to suppress the truth,” Malviya said in a post on X. Tensions rose on Tuesday in Omarpur, located in the Raghunathganj police station area of Murshidabad.

Several groups had organised a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, which brought major changes to the management of Islamic charitable properties. In Murshidabad, around 60 percent of the population is Muslim. Protest rallies started early in the afternoon from different parts of Raghunathganj town and nearby villages. By around 3 pm, they had all gathered in Omarpur. Expecting possible trouble, the authorities had already deployed a large number of police officers to keep the situation under control. 

According to the police, the violence began when a few hundred protestors refused to clear a road blockade on NH-12, which was causing traffic problems between north and south Bengal. When the police tried to step in, clashes broke out. Locals said the police had a tough time controlling the situation until 6 pm, and part of NH-12 stayed blocked by protestors. Later in the evening, State Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty ordered that internet services be suspended across the Jangipur area until 6 pm on April 11.

Ananda Roy, the police chief of Jangipur district, said that over 20 people were taken into custody. Several police officers were hurt, including a deputy superintendent. Protestors also damaged at least five police vehicles, and two of them were set on fire.