The last batch of Murshidabad violence survivors have returned home from relief camps, but the acrid smell of charred homes hangs heavy over Betbona, Das Para, Pal Para, and Digri – once-peaceful villages now marked by silence and fear.
What began as protests against the Waqf Amendment Act had spiraled into two days of violence, leaving behind traumatised families and questions about police inaction. So far, 159 FIRs have been lodged, 278 persons arrested, and nearly 1,100 social media accounts taken down.
A nine-member special investigation team led by Murshidabad DIG Syed Waquar Raza is currently investigating the violence. But pressure is growing for the matter to be handed over to another agency.
The Supreme Court, which expressed concern over the amendments last week, heard a petition seeking a court-monitored probe into the violence on Monday. Union minister Sukanta Majumdar visited riot-hit areas and said the NIA could take over the investigation if the Calcutta High Court agrees.
Amid a deepening political divide, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and teams from both the National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Women separately visited the affected villages in Murshidabad on April 19. The Trinamool Congress called these visits politicised.
The TMC has come under fire from opposition parties, particularly the BJP, over its handling of the violence while the BJP, on its part, has been accused of misinformation.
Newslaundry visited at least 10 areas part of the Suti and Samserganj blocks in Murshidabad to piece together a blow-by-blow account of the violence that singed the district and the sociopolitical landscape of a state where elections are due next year.
The warning signs
The violence had left over a 100 homes torched and three dead: a father-son duo allegedly dragged out of their homes and murdered and a Muslim man succumbed to bullet injuries during clashes with the police. The prime accused in the father-son double murder case has been nabbed while questions remain about the death due to bullet injuries.
But the violence didn’t arrive without warning.
On April 7, the first tremors were felt when protesters blocked the highway in Aurangabad, setting tires ablaze and halting traffic for nearly two hours. Police dispersed the crowd, briefly restoring calm. But by evening, another group had blockaded railway tracks near Nimtita station, paralysing train movement until police intervention around 9.30 pm.
The situation deteriorated further on April 8 when demonstrators blocked National Highway 12 at Omarpur in Raghunathganj. What started as a protest quickly escalated as police vehicles were set on fire – a harbinger of the violence to come. Intelligence inputs warned authorities about potential unrest following Friday prayers on April 11, prompting deployment of substantial police forces at Sajur More in Suti.
April 9 brought an uneasy calm. Attempting to prevent further escalation, police convened a peace meeting on April 10, gathering nearly 200 local Imams and community leaders Abdul Razzak and Nizamuddin Biswas.
The gesture proved futile.
The geographical spread on April 11
The flashpoint came on April 11. Under the banner of “nagarik mancha”, protesters gathered at a place called Sajur More, ostensibly to demonstrate against the controversial Waqf Amendment Act. The act was passed in Parliament earlier this month amid strong objections by sections of the Muslim community about expanded government authority over Waqf properties.
Situated on the National Highway 12, Sajur More serves as a vital link between Murshidabad town and the rest of the district. This commercial hub was hit by violence along with villages within a 12-kilometre radius in Suti and Samserganj blocks.
Moidul Islam, owner of local news portal MTv, witnessed the gathering firsthand at Sajur More. “The local media received news on April 11 that there could possibly be a gathering at Sajur More…There was an apprehension that a large gathering might take place after Friday prayers.”
As Islam and other journalists watched, people began converging from different directions. Shops along the roadway had already shuttered. Despite police barricades led by IPS Asim Khan, approximately 70 protesters soon occupied the National Highway. The situation deteriorated when demonstrators overturned barricades at Modipur and blocked the thoroughfare.
When Jangipur TMC MP Khalilur Rahman’s vehicle attempted to pass through from Dhuliyan to Jungipur, protesters blocked it and began shouting slogans. Though police cleared a path for the MP and allowed ambulances through, they intercepted a police vehicle, climbing onto it, smashing its windows, and pushing it toward Murshidabad.
The confrontation escalated as protesters allegedly hurled bricks, stones, and glass bottles at police officers. Law enforcement responded with lathi charges and rubber bullets but failed to maintain control. “Police had to retreat at least one km toward Manikpur jute mill after running out of tear gas shells,” Islam recalled. Two of his media colleagues were injured in the melee.
By 3.30 pm, the police had lost control of the situation again as the mob pushed an empty bus toward Sajur More and set it ablaze. Several civilian vehicles were vandalised, and another police car was torched. A civic volunteer told Islam that even his hidden motorcycle was discovered and burned.
“It was evening time, and we thought it wasn’t safe anymore,” said Islam. “We sought shelter in a house through a jungle road. Later, around 8.30 pm when tensions subsided, I found my bike completely charred.”
In conversations with Newslaundry, eyewitnesses pointed to a disturbing pattern. The protesters carried no flags or placards – nothing connecting them to the Waqf issue or any political organisation. A resident from nearby Pilki village claimed most of the miscreants were in their late teens or “at most 20 years old”.
In conversations with Newslaundry, eyewitnesses pointed to a disturbing pattern. The protesters carried no flags or placards – nothing connecting them to the Waqf issue or any political organisation. A resident from nearby Pilki village claimed most of the miscreants were in their late teens or “at most 20 years old”. “These miscreants had no flags, no political banner, nothing with them. I even doubt if it’s because of Waqf or something else. Their only aim was to create violence and instill fear among locals.”
An employee of a private bank near Sajur More described how staff locked themselves inside as chaos engulfed the area.
“We saw hundreds of young boys gathered on the street who soon started pelting stones at police and whatever targets they chose. We rushed to the roof, pulled down the shutters, locked the door and waited for the situation to calm down,” said the employee, speaking anonymously. “Around 3.30 pm, we heard multiple forceful thuds on the shutter. There’s cash and many valuables in the vault. After some time, the banging stopped. By evening, police helped us escape.”
Vehicles became primary targets – ambulances, buses, press vehicles, and jeeps were torched, as were police barricades. Meanwhile, when the Malda SP attempted to reach Sajur More with reinforcements, another group of rioters intercepted them near Farakka.
Villages under siege for 2 days
As chaos reigned on the highway, attacks were unleashed on villages in the Samserganj area. For two consecutive days – April 11 and 12 – mobs stormed homes, setting buildings ablaze and causing widespread destruction. Villagers reported being robbed at gunpoint, with attackers seizing cash, jewelry, and valuables amid opportunistic looting. It is unclear whether these mobs had anything to do with each other.
“The incident has left us in a state of fear and devastation, with many families now displaced and seeking shelter,” said Nanda Das, a 53-year-old from Jafrabad, Morolpara, who relocated his 14-year-old daughter to relatives in Jharkhand after the April 12 rampage.
“The attackers came here on Saturday around 11 pm and began hurling country bombs. Everyone fled wherever they could to protect themselves. They broke locks, took whatever they wanted, and set houses on fire. These people didn’t even spare gas stoves and kitchen utensils. We called the police station and leaders, but nobody came. Forces finally arrived around 4 pm.”
Despite desperate calls to the nearest police station, villagers claimed they received no immediate assistance and were forced to resist the mob for nearly two hours before being overwhelmed and scattered in different directions.
Dukori Das, 40, was away in Ranipur when attackers invaded his home. “I received panic-stricken calls from my daughters saying many people had stormed our house. I told them to stay brave – what else could I say? I made countless calls to the police station, but they went unanswered.”
His wife Tumpa Das recounted the ordeal. “It was around 9 am, and I was doing daily chores when this happened. I folded my hands and begged them not to kill my children, saying they could take whatever they wanted. My brother-in-law’s wife was also with me. Seeing an opportunity, I told my children to slip into our last room and hide under the bed. I covered them with bedsheets. My daughter is 19 years old. We could hear them saying, ‘Come out, we’ll rape you.’ We were literally trembling with fear. God knows where the police were.”
A day earlier, on April 11, within 100 metres of Morol Para, in Sarkar Para, a father and son were dragged from their home and killed. Chandan Das’s son, an eighth-grade student who had fled, returned to find his father and grandfather stabbed to death. Since April 11, the entire family has been unable to stay in their home, taking shelter with neighbours instead. They have also refused to take government compensation.
The aftermath: ‘Nobody came to save us…want a BSF camp’
When Newslaundry visited Betbona, ward 16 – another affected village now guarded by BSF and West Bengal Police – residents surrounded reporters, asking: “Where were the forces when they looted us, burned our homes and cattle? For two days this happened, but nobody came to save us.”
Families described nights filled with tension and fear. Some huddled together in darkness, too afraid to sleep, while others fled under cover of darkness. Many villagers sent their daughters and children to safer locations.
“We are here because of the BSF, but what happens when the administration says there is no fear and they leave? Can we stay here then? Nothing is normal anymore; the fear will linger. We want a permanent BSF camp here,” claimed a villager who returned April 15 from her daughter’s house.
Latika Mondal, whose house was among the first burned in the village, claimed: “Their frenzy began at 9 am on Friday. It was impossible to fight them. When attackers began torching our home, we had no option but to escape immediately. We left everything behind and ran to my mother’s house.”
Tarak Ghosh’s home now stands with nothing but brick walls – no roof, while everything inside was reduced to ashes, including rice sacks, pulses, vegetables, clothes, and his wife’s savings stored in their trunk. “We are left with nothing, absolutely nothing,” said Tarak, a daily wage earner. “We didn’t run away; we went to the roof, but when they set the house on fire, we couldn’t withstand the heat and smoke. We jumped with my toddler daughter and six other family members.”
Similar devastation visited Digri ward 16, where Sonamoni Sarkar, a beedi maker, was working inside her house at 8 am when she heard the mob. “The young boys were making noise as they advanced. The older ones, in their teens, came behind them,” she recalled. Her younger son screamed, “Ma, please run away through the back fence. So many people are coming.” Everything – from refrigerator to television, electrical fixtures to kitchen utensils – was destroyed, even the floor smashed to pieces.
A relief camp established near Betbona village served approximately 350-400 meals daily to displaced residents. However, villagers faced a drinking water shortage after the village pipeline was damaged during the attacks.
Every affected resident had similar questions: Why did they receive no help from Samserganj police? How could attackers rampage for two days in multiple waves unchallenged? What emboldened them to act with such impunity? How could villages be attacked one after another with no police response and unanswered emergency calls – especially when these communities lie within less than three kilometres of the Samserganj police station?
Jangipur SP Ananda Roy said authorities have offered Rs 10,000 as interim relief for those whose houses have been damaged. Gopal Mondal, who returned to the area from another camp in Malda said those whose houses “are not in a bad shape are in a better situation than us”.
Subhash Mondol returned from a relief camp in Malda to his damaged home in Betbona on Sunday. “The mob burnt everything we had.”
Jangipur SP Ananda Roy said authorities have offered Rs 10,000 as interim relief for those whose houses have been damaged.
Gopal Mondal, who returned to the area from another camp in Malda said those whose houses “are not in a bad shape are in a better situation than us”.
So far, 21 FIRs have been lodged in Suti while 138 cases have been lodged in Samserganj. Officials said that most of these cases pertain to arson or damage to property.
Economic paralysis
Ramkrishna Singh, a 50-year-old businessman, described how rioters targeted his banquet hall: “They barged inside and started wrecking the place. They specifically targeted CCTVs wherever they found them. We panicked; the internet was already shut down.”
“Later, surprisingly, I heard accusations that I orchestrated the violence…Even the SP denied any such claim occurred, calling it fake news. This issue came up at the April 17 peace meeting. I was born and raised in Dhuliyan – why would I do such a thing? I have no affiliation with any party, be it BJP, TMC, or others. This has caused irreparable damage.”
The atmosphere, especially after nightfall, remains tense throughout affected areas. While some residents have cautiously begun venturing to the Main Bazaar near the Samserganj police station, no one stays out past 7 pm.
Fruit seller Zakir Hussain’s shop and Manjur Alam’s shop were burned on Saturday, April 12 – just 200 metres from the Samserganj police station.
Many shops in Ghosh Para and Shiv Tola in Dhuliyan remain closed since April 11.
Bapi Kumar Saha, who has sold vegetables in Ghosh Para main market since 1992 and typically operated until 11 pm, now closes by 7 pm. “We all live in fear. Few customers are coming. I’m selling mostly until 7 pm and then leaving. My son accompanies me for safety.”
“The situation was dangerous on Friday at 3.30 pm. School buses were vandalised, thankfully with no one inside. I believe criminals have no religion or caste,” claimed a medicine shop owner among the first to reopen after the violence.
A 35-year-old shopper at Dhuliyan main market highlighted ongoing challenges: “UPI isn’t working, ATMs are empty – it’s a difficult time, but things will improve soon as normalcy returns…When the procession was happening, why was there no security?”
Seventeen companies of central armed forces are now stationed throughout the affected region, including in the villages.
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