A special bench comprising Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury was constituted by the Chief Justice to urgently hear a petition filed by Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, seeking the deployment of central forces in the district. Stating that it cannot keep its eyes closed when such situations come up, the Calcutta high court on Saturday ordered deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in Murshidabad.
The court said citizens must be provided with adequate security and protection to ensure peace and order in the region, a PTI report said. The court also instructed both the state government and the Centre to submit detailed reports on the situation. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on April 17.
Murshidabad district of West Bengal has been tense amid violent clashes that erupted following protests over the Waqf Act, prompting chief minister to say that the legislation will not be implemented in the state after accusations by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at her of inaction over the stir.
According to reports three deaths have occured in Waqf-related violence at Samserganj in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, news agency PTI quoted police as saying on Saturday, shortly after which the Calcutta high court ordered the deployment of the central forces in the clash-hit district.
The clash victims included a father-son duo — Harogobindo Das and Chandan — who were found with multiple stab wounds inside their home in Jafrabad, located in the violence-hit Samserganj area, an IPS officer said, adding that the third victim, identified as 21-year-old Ijaz Momin, succumbed to bullet wounds he sustained during clashes at Sajur More in Suti on Friday.