Plea In Supreme Court Seeks Special Team To Probe Bengal Violence

The issue of violent protests in Bengal's Murshidabad district - protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act and in which three people died - reached the Supreme Court Monday.

A top court lawyer - Shashank Shekhar Jha - has asked for a special team to investigate the violence and the deaths and for the Supreme Court to supervise this investigation.

The Supreme Court must seek an explanation from the state government regarding the poor law-and-order condition, and also take steps to save lives and prevent further violence, the petitioner said.

Over 200 people have been arrested since violence last week in Murshidabad and other Bengal districts, including South 24 Parganas, Malda, and Hooghly.

The protests were against amended Waqf laws passed by Parliament this month - after 30+ hours of bitter sniping between the ruling BJP and the opposition, which included Bengal ruling Trinamool Congress. Challenges to these will be heard by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vowed that the amended Waqf laws will not be implemented in Bengal for as long as her party controls the government. "We have made our position clear ... we do not support this law. It will not be implemented in our state..." she said, appealing for peace.

In the protests in Muslim-dominated Murshidabad, railway tracks were blocked, protesters threw stones at police, and there was arson - cop vehicles were set on fire - and vandalism.

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Three people died. Two of the three were a father and his son; their bodies were found, riddled with stab wounds, at their home in Jafrabad in Samserganj area of the district. The third death was in Dhulian.

READ | "Can't Turn Blind Eye": Calcutta High Court On Bengal Waqf Violence

As protests raged, the Calcutta High Court said it could not remain "a mute spectator" and ordered the deployment of the Central Armed Police Force to "facilitating the state to ensure safety and security".

The High Court will also hear a plea by the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday.

The violence also triggered a political row, and will add to a long list of sensitive topics set to underpin (what will be a hostile, shrill, and ugly) campaign rhetoric before next year's election.

Those early exchanges were evident Monday; ruling Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh blamed the violence on a conspiracy by a central agency and the BSF, or Border Security Force.

"We are receiving inputs... there was a larger conspiracy. A section of a central agency, a section of BSF, and two-three other political parties were involved..." he claimed.

The allegation drew a sharp response from the BJP, for whom Mr Adhikari said, "The Trinamool is dangerous, anti-national, and jihadi-controlled. We want an NIA probe into the riots."

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