AFTER CALCUTTA HC ORDER, BSF DEPLOYED IN MURSHIDABAD

A BJP leader said that a father and son duo, Hargobind Das and Chandan Das, were hacked to death in Dhulian, Shamsher Ganj, Jafrabad.

- SUPROTIM MUKHERJEE

In an emergency session in the evening today, the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of Central forces to contain communal violence in Bengal's Murshidabad district following protests by the majority Muslim community against the Waqf Amendment Act.

In the afternoon, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari appealed to Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam for immediate deployment of Central forces following the incidents of arson and violence in which at least three lives have been lost.

The Chief Justice nominated the Bench of Justice Soumen Sen to hear the plea even though it was a holiday today.

After an hour-long hearing, Justice Soumen Sen overrode the objections of the West Bengal Government's senior counsel and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, and said: "Nothing is more important than the lives of the people."

He said that while the initial deployment would be in Murshidabad district, it would be extended to any additional area if the State administration desired.

Kalyan Banerjee pleaded against the deployment of Central forces saying that it was a ploy by the Opposition BJP to plead for the implementation of Article 355.

He also said that the deployment of the Central forces would lead to "unnecessary expenditure".

Meanwhile, violence continued unabated in several areas of Murshidabad district in protest against the Waqf Amendment Act.

Several vehicles, including ambulances, police vans, and Government buses and shops were set on fire and stones were hurled at security forces.

Reports said that mobs had torched shops and eateries belonging to Hindus.

About 70 per cent of the population in Murshidabad are Muslims.

Internet services have been suspended in Murshidabad.