The violence erupted in Bhangar area where a police vehicle was set on fire and several motorcycles were torched. Videos showed police motorbikes set on fire and an overturned police bus.
Days after the violence in Murshidabad, tensions have flared up in South 24 Parganas district after fresh incidents of violence were reported in the Sonpur village area.
Supporters of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) clashed with the police in Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, leading to several injuries.
The violence erupted in Sonpur village area in Bhangar area where a police vehicle was set on fire and several motorcycles were torched. Videos showed police motorbikes set on fire and an overturned police bus. The videos also showed a large presence of police personnel on the streets.
Eyewitnesses said police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protesters, which led to at least one ISF worker sustaining a head injury.
The clash erupted when police stopped ISF supporters from heading towards Ramlila Maidan in central Kolkata to attend an anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act rally addressed by party leader and Bhangar MLA Naushad Siddique.
South 24 Parganas, West Bengal: Violence broke out in Bhangar over the Waqf Amendment Act. ISF supporters clashed with police after being stopped en route to a rally. Five police bikes were torched, a prison van vandalized, and highways blocked. Heavy police deployment has been… pic.twitter.com/vOVz51qvtH
— IANS (@ians_india) April 14, 2025
According to police sources, the rallyists were stopped near Bhojerhat on the Basanti Highway, where a large number of ISF workers had gathered from Bhangar as well as neighbouring areas such as Minakhan and Sandeshkhali.
Tension escalated when the crowd attempted to break through police barricades, leading to a clash between the two sides. Some police vehicles were set on fire by the protesters and a few police personnel were injured when the agitators attacked the law enforcers, a police officer said.
A high alert was sounded in the nearby areas. The protesters were later dispersed. Later, Bhangar MLA Naushad Siddique criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Act and demanded its withdrawal. "This law is not just an attack on Muslims, it is an assault on the Constitution. We won't accept this Act. The government that supports such laws must go," he said.
The attacks come days after the violence in Murshidabad led to the death of three people, following which 200 arrests have been made.
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