Waqf stir rocks Bengal, 3 dead

At least three people were killed and dozens, including police personnel, injured in violent protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act that continued for a second day in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, prompting the Calcutta high court to order deployment of central reinforcements in the region.

- Joydeep Thakur and Srevasi Pal

The large-scale violence began on Friday in the Suti and Samserganj areas when mobs attacked homes, set vehicles ablaze and pelted security forces with stones in the Muslim-dominated district along the Bangladesh border. People identified two of the victims as Haragob-indo Das, 65, and his son Chandan Das, 40, who family members said were dragged from their home, beaten and stabbed to death in Samserganj. Police did not comment on the circumstances of their deaths. The third victim was identified as 25-year-old Ezaz Ahmed, who sustained bullet injuries in Suti.

The deteriorating situation sparked a political tussle between the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Opposition.

Late in the evening, the ministry of home affairs announced that apart from nearly 300 Border Security Force personnel locally available in Murshidabad, "additional five companies have been deployed at the request of the state government".

"There has been rumour mongering by anti-social elements... As a result, there was fresh mobilisation yesterday [Friday] in Suti and Samserganj...

Two people died in Samserganj and one in Suti," additional director general (Law and Order) Jawed Shamim said.

The Das family said a mob stabbed the two men and ransacked their home. "A mob attacked our house last night.