After Murshidabad, fresh violence erupts in Bengal over Waqf Bill; clashes, reported in South 24 Parganas

Fresh violence broke out in Bengal on Monday—this time in the South 24 Parganas district—over the changes to Waqf laws, which deal with the management of Muslim charitable properties.

Videos from the area showed police motorbikes set on fire and a police bus overturned, with its windshield smashed. A large police presence was also seen on the streets.

According to PTI, the clashes took place in the Bhangar area, where supporters of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) clashed with the police. This led to injuries and the burning of police vehicles.

The ISF supporters were reportedly heading to Ramlila Maidan in central Kolkata to attend a rally opposing the new Waqf laws. The rally was to be addressed by party MLA Naushad Siddique.

However, police said they had not granted permission for the rally. Despite that, it went ahead, and during his speech, Mr. Siddique called the new law "an attack on Muslims and assault on the Constitution." Tensions rose when the crowd tried to break through police barricades.

A senior police officer confirmed that some personnel were injured during the clashes. Eyewitnesses said police used lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, and at least one protester was injured.

In response, the ISF questioned why their protest was stopped when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself had said her government would not implement the new Waqf laws.

This incident comes after last week's violence in Murshidabad, a Muslim-majority district, where three people were killed. Protesters had blocked railway tracks, and there were incidents of arson and vandalism.

So far, over 200 people have been arrested in connection with that violence.

The Murshidabad clashes were brought up in the Supreme Court earlier today. A petitioner asked for a court-monitored investigation by a central agency into the violence.

There is also growing pressure on the Bengal government—especially from the opposition BJP ahead of next year’s election—to explain how the law-and-order situation deteriorated.