'Police inactive and absent': What are key findings of HC-appointed panel on Murshidabad violence

NEW DELHI: A report by three-member committee set up by Calcutta high court to investigate the anti-Waqf protests in Murshidabad that turned violent has pointed to serious lapses by local authorities in West Bengal. The report noted that the "main attack" took place on April 11 and the "local police were completely inactive and absent".

It further alleged that a local councilor played a key role in orchestrating the attacks in Dhulian town.

The high court on April 17 directed the formation of a committee to identify and rehabilitate those displaced by the violence. During the protests over the Waqf Act, a father and son — Harogobindo Das and Chandan Das — were discovered brutally murdered with multiple stab wounds at their home in Shamsherganj’s Jafrabad locality.

The panel—comprising Joginder Singh (Registrar, Law, NHRC), Satya Arnab Ghosal (Member Secretary, WBLSA), and Saugata Chakraborty (Registrar, WBJS)—submitted its report to the Calcutta high court last week.

Key findings of the committee:

• "Main attack" occurred on the afternoon of April 11, the report alleged.
• A local councillor directed the attacks at Dhulian town in Murshidabad, it said.
• "Local police were completely inactive and absent," it said.
• The report said that victims in the affected areas required tailored rehabilitation packages, and engaging valuation experts to ensure appropriate support and compensation.

Meanwhile, an earlier report submitted by the West Bengal government to the division bench outlined widespread mob violence in Murshidabad between April 8 and April 12, linked to protests against the Waqf Act.

The report noted that protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 began on April 4 across all police station areas in Jangipur police district. It added that the situation in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj, and Jangipur was eventually brought under control through the intervention of the police and civil administration.

It said that the protests escalated into violence starting April 8. On April 12, a mob killed Haragobinda Das and his son Chandan Das in Jafrabad under Samserganj police station. As the situation deteriorated, central forces were deployed in Samserganj on April 11, followed by additional CAPF deployments on April 12, ordered by the high court.

The riots had sparked a political row with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming that "Hindu families" were targeted. The Trinamool Congress chief and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had alleged that the violence was "orchestrated and well planned".