Central forces to stay on in Bengal, HC advises govt to recruit more cops

Te Calcutta High Court, hearing pleas on the Murshidabad violence following the Waqf Amendment Act protests, has said the Central armed forces will stay in troubled-torn Shamshergunj and Dhulian for now until further orders and advised the West Bengal government to recruit more police personnel.

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The court noted that violence could have been avoided if the state had adequate forces, court sources said.

A bench headed by Justice Soumen Sen told both the Centre and state to consider setting up a permanent BSF camp in Samserganj and Dhulian to ensure security to people in areas where communal riots on April 11-12 forced many people to flee after three people were killed and shops and homes were looted.

After issuing the order on Thursday, the judges released the case from their jurisdiction and referred it to Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam for reassignment to another division bench.

The other judge on the bench was Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury.