Violence broke out in the area following protests against the Waqf Act. The unrest led to multiple deaths, injuries, and widespread damage to public and private property
NEW DELHI – The violence that rocked the Samserganj area of Murshidabad in West Bengal on April 11-12 this year was the result of state complicity and delayed police response to the palpable tension in the region, a fact-finding report released recently has said.
The report, prepared by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) and the Bandi Mukti Committee, is based on a visit by a joint team of the organisations to Murshidabad.
The APCR is a civil rights advocacy group comprising advocates, retired judges, social activists, human rights defenders, journalists, researchers, academics, students, and paralegal volunteers. Similarly, the West Bengal-based Bandi Mukti Committee fights for human rights and social justice.
Violence broke out in the area following protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The unrest led to multiple deaths, injuries, and widespread damage to public and private property. The violence included the blocking of National Highway 12, the setting ablaze of police vehicles, attacks on a local MP’s office, and the disruption of train services at the Nimtita railway station. Over 400 people, including women and children, were also displaced from affected areas and took shelter in the neighbouring Malda district.
The joint APCR and Bandi Mukti Committee critically examined nearly 300 FIRs registered at the Samsherganj police station in connection with the violence.
The preliminary findings of the team include negligence by the police. The findings claim that victims across communities unanimously stated that if the police had acted promptly, the violence could have been contained at an early stage and not escalated to such a degree.
The report also pointed to the medical neglect. In Jafrabad, the report said, two individuals – Hargobind Das and Chandan Das – could have survived had they received timely medical attention. They lay injured and bleeding for over three hours without help, it said.
“Besides the killing of Ijaz Ahmed by BSF personnel, at least 13 other Muslim citizens suffered grievous injuries from BSF gunfire. Locals claim that BSF forces wore slippers — a sight never witnessed before — and some suspect that RSS-BJP-affiliated militia had infiltrated BSF uniforms,” the report pointed out.
It also claimed that the ongoing police action under the guise of investigation is disproportionately targeting Muslim citizens, including minors. “Police are breaking into homes at night, arresting individuals without issuing arrest memos, and delaying their production in court well beyond the 24-hour legal limit. During this time, detainees are subjected to severe custodial assault,” the report said.
An analysis of the FIRs, the report said, reveals copy-paste allegations with identical narratives differing only by name, revealing clear signs of fabrication and communal bias. “Arrests are being made based on these false and Islamophobic complaints,” it said.
In light of these findings, the organisations demanded a neutral and judicial inquiry into the entire incident, and compensation for all those killed or injured by BSF firing. They also sought an end to arbitrary and forceful police raids on homes and the immediate release of all detained minors.
