West Bengal: Protest against Waqf Act 2025 turns violent, 3 killed

Protests against the Waqf Act 2025 in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal Friday April 11, 2025 turned violent leaving at least three people dead and scores others injured

Kolkata: Protests against the Waqf Act 2025 in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal Friday April 11, 2025 turned violent leaving at least three people dead and scores others injured.

About Waqf Act 2025

The Waqf Amendment Act 2025 has been enacted by the right wing Narendra Modi government in New Delhi to, what it claimed, stop the misuse of the Waqf properties and save them from illegal possessions and encroachments.

While pushing for the new Waqf law, the Modi government also claimed that it wants to regularize the Waqf properties and use the income generated from them for the welfare of the Muslim community.

“Indian Waqf has properties worth hundreds of thousands of crore rupees whereas the income is merely 126 crore rupees. We will change it and stop Waqf misuse”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said while participating in the debate on Waqf Bill 2025 in the Parliament on April 02, 2025.

Muslims not convinced

The Muslim organizations however are not convinced. Highlighting the daily trauma the Indian Muslims are going through since 2014 when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, Muslims doubt the government and fear its intention is to grab the Waqf lands.

Consequently, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and other Muslim organizations called for nationwide protest against the Waqf Act.

Following the call given by the Muslim organizations, Indian Muslims in different parts of the country including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and other states have taken to streets to express their opposition and demanding rollback of the new Waqf Act.

While protests against Waqf Act Friday April 11, 2025 have been largely peaceful in other parts of India including Mumbai, clashes erupted in West Bengal and Tripura.

118 arrested

According to Additional Director General (ADG), Law and Order, Jawed Shamim, among the three people who died in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, two were killed in clashes while one man was killed in firing.

The state police has arrested some 118 people in connection with the rioting whereas a special bench of the Calcutta High Court has ordered deployment of the Central Forces in Jangipur.

There are also reports of violent protests from Unakoti district of Tripura.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already declared that the new act will not be implemented in the state. At the same time, she also urged the people to maintain calm and peace.

Meanwhile, the BJP has announced to launch a 'Waqf Reforms Awareness Campaign', which will run from April 20 to May 5, 2025 across India.

Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.