The Crossbill News Desk
A protest led by the Indian Secular Front (ISF) against the amended Waqf law turned violent in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, on Sunday as clashes broke out between protesters and police.
The violence erupted after ISF supporters, who were heading towards Kolkata to participate in a demonstration, were stopped by security forces on the Basanti Highway, The Indian Express reported.
The situation escalated when protesters staged a sit-in (dharna) on the highway for over four hours. Police said they were compelled to resort to lathicharge after protesters refused to disperse and began pelting stones.
In the Shonpur area of Bhangar, demonstrators set police vehicles and motorbikes on fire. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were later deployed to bring the situation under control. The unrest continued for more than six hours, though no casualties were reported.
ISF chairman and the party’s lone MLA, Naushad Siddiqui, meanwhile, addressed a separate rally at Ramlila Maidan in Kolkata after being denied permission to hold it at Esplanade. He used the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the party of suppressing dissent.
“If TMC is also opposing the Waqf law, then why did their police stop our supporters at Basanti highway?” Siddiqui was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
“Basically, TMC doesn’t want to protest the Waqf law. They only want to gain a political dividend. When they are in crisis, they always point at Delhi to shift the focus,” he said.
Criticising the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Siddiqui called it an assault not only on Muslims but on the Constitution itself.
“This law is not just an attack on Muslims, it is an assault on the Constitution. We won’t accept this Act. The government that supports such laws must go,” he declared.
The ISF also accused the BJP of attempting to fuel communal tensions through divisive policies, even as they reiterated their opposition to the new law and vowed to intensify their agitation in the coming days.
The violence erupted after ISF supporters, who were heading towards Kolkata to participate in a demonstration, were stopped by security forces on the Basanti Highway, The Indian Express reported.
The situation escalated when protesters staged a sit-in (dharna) on the highway for over four hours. Police said they were compelled to resort to lathicharge after protesters refused to disperse and began pelting stones.
In the Shonpur area of Bhangar, demonstrators set police vehicles and motorbikes on fire. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were later deployed to bring the situation under control. The unrest continued for more than six hours, though no casualties were reported.
VIDEO | West Bengal: Tension in South 24 Parganas' Bhangar as Indian Secular Front (ISF) workers clashed with city police. They also set a van ablaze. More details awaited.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 14, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bnF8OnGu37) pic.twitter.com/fk17Jufpl3
ISF chairman and the party’s lone MLA, Naushad Siddiqui, meanwhile, addressed a separate rally at Ramlila Maidan in Kolkata after being denied permission to hold it at Esplanade. He used the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the party of suppressing dissent.
“If TMC is also opposing the Waqf law, then why did their police stop our supporters at Basanti highway?” Siddiqui was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
“Basically, TMC doesn’t want to protest the Waqf law. They only want to gain a political dividend. When they are in crisis, they always point at Delhi to shift the focus,” he said.
Criticising the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Siddiqui called it an assault not only on Muslims but on the Constitution itself.
“This law is not just an attack on Muslims, it is an assault on the Constitution. We won’t accept this Act. The government that supports such laws must go,” he declared.
The ISF also accused the BJP of attempting to fuel communal tensions through divisive policies, even as they reiterated their opposition to the new law and vowed to intensify their agitation in the coming days.
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