Protesting attack on Hindus in Murshidabad, BJP MLAs demand West Bengal CM‘s resignation-OxBig News Network

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, along with BJP MLAs take out a rally to pay tribute to the families who were killed during the protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 in Murshidabad, outside Legislative Assembly in Kolkata on April 16, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Stepping up the heat on the Trinamool Congress government over the recent communal clashes in Murshidabad, BJP MLAs observed Wednesday as ‘Hindu Shahid Diwas (Hindu Martyrs Day)‘, holding protests near the West Bengal Assembly.

The protests were led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari who said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to protect the people of the State.

“We demand the immediate resignation of the CM, who has squarely failed to protect the lives and property of people from attacks. A father-son duo was brutally murdered for being Hindus by jihadis who don’t know the contents of the Waqf (Amendment) Act,“ Mr. Adhikari told journalists outside the Assembly.

Also Read | Violence in Murshidabad ‘pre-planned’, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

₹10 lakh for victims’ kin

Three people were killed in the violence that erupted on April 11 and 12, including two members of one family, Haragobind Das and Chandan Das, who were hacked to death by a mob, and 17-year-old Izaz Ahmed Sheikh who sustained bullet injuries in a police action. Ms. Banerjee announced on Wednesday that ₹10 lakh would to given to the next of kin of each of the deceased.

The Leader of Opposition has approached Calcutta High Court seeking permission to visit the violence-affected areas of Murshidabad district. Mr. Adhikari has also sought a probe into the violence by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Also Read | Murshidabad remains calm, arrests climb to 230 in West Bengal

Protest at police HQ

State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar joined eight to ten victims of the violence at a demonstration at Bhavani Bhavan, the West Bengal police headquarters, demanding a meeting with senior police officers. Mr. Majumdar also demanded that all the perpetrators should be identified.

“The affected people claimed that the mob was instigated by some neighbours, whose houses, however, were left untouched. Has this aspect been looked into? All miscreants should be identified. We are yet to see the preliminary inquiry report of the police,” he said. According to the West Bengal police, more than 220 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the violence at Murshidabad.

Also Read | NCW forms panel to probe Murshidabad violence

‘CM should visit affected areas’

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called for the Chief Minister to visit the violence-affected areas instead of making remarks on the violence while sitting in Kolkata,

“You are issuing statements from Kolkata about the violence but haven’t been able to visit the affected areas — Samserganj, Suti, Dhulian, Jangipur – to date,” Mr. Chowdhury said. The former Congress MP, who visited the riot-hit areas, said that despite winning most of the seats from the region, the public representatives of the ruling TMC were “not seen with the affected people at this time of crisis”.

The Chief Minister, however, noted that the violence occurred in Dhulian and Shamsherganj, which fall within the bounds of the Malda Dakshin Lok Sabha seat represented by Congress MP Isha Khan Chowdhury.