Saurabh Mukherjee
CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh has launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, accusing it of engineering last month’s communal violence in Murshidabad to divert public attention from the state’s deepening education recruitment scandal.
The violence, which erupted during protests against the Waqf Amendment Bill, has sparked political controversy, especially after a Calcutta High Court-appointed committee held the local TMC leadership accountable, citing police inaction and naming specific leaders.
Ghosh, citing the committee’s findings, alleged that the police ignored desperate calls for help from residents while rioters rampaged through the area.
“Local residents repeatedly called the police, but no help came. The police allowed the rioters to run amok. Only after the destruction was complete did the police arrive. This was a government-sponsored riot — a riot led by Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s recent verdict invalidating thousands of teacher appointments in the WBSSC scam, Ghosh said, “This violence was orchestrated with clear intent — to divide Hindus and Muslims, to distract from the WBSSC scam that had just shaken the state.”
He also raised broader questions about who benefits from such communal discord, indirectly pointing fingers at both the BJP and TMC.
“Divisive politics continues to thrive in Bengal, and the question is — who profits from it?” he asked.
Ghosh asserted that communal harmony in the state is a threat to both the ruling and opposition right-wing forces.
“If there is peace and unity among communities, the Left will emerge stronger. That is why these forces fuel conflict — to suppress the Left’s resurgence,” he concluded.
The High Court panel’s interim report, which has surfaced in public domain, lays specific blame on local TMC leaders, including Samserganj MLA Amirul Islam and former Dhulian municipal chairperson Mehboob Alam.
The report alleges that on April 11, shortly after 2:30 PM, Alam arrived with masked men from nearby areas such as Samserganj and Digri and led targeted attacks. It further claims that MLA Amirul Islam visited the scene, observed which houses were yet untouched, and then saw them being set ablaze, all while ignoring calls for help from panicked villagers in Betbona.
Both leaders have denied the accusations. Alam said he had tried to de-escalate the situation and was himself chased by armed miscreants while accompanied by Hindu neighbours.
“I respect the court, but the accusations are baseless. I would never destroy the ward I helped build,” he told the media.
Amirul Islam echoed this defense, calling the charges a conspiracy to tarnish his image.
“I was out there trying to stop the miscreants. Later, I even helped provide relief,” he claimed.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh rejected the committee's findings as part of the BJP’s political narrative.
“The violence in Murshidabad was condemnable, and the state did its job — arrests were made, and victims were supported. But the BJP is now using this to push propaganda,” he said, further alleging a larger conspiracy involving “outsiders,” possibly from across the international border.
The incident has added to the TMC’s growing troubles. In April, the Supreme Court upheld the cancellation of 25,753 school appointments due to the WBSSC scam. In May, the court ordered the release of a portion of the overdue Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears to state government employees.
The Murshidabad episode is the third blow in as many months, with opposition parties — both the BJP and CPI(M) — intensifying their attack on the ruling party.
BJP leaders have also used the committee’s report to allege that the TMC is indulging in “minority appeasement” and failing to maintain law and order. While earlier criticisms were more vague, the naming of individual leaders has sharpened the political narrative against the TMC.
As Bengal braces for a crucial electoral battle in 2026, the violence in Murshidabad has become a potent symbol of the larger concerns gripping the state — from governance failures to deepening communal rifts — and the political consequences are only beginning to unfold.
The violence, which erupted during protests against the Waqf Amendment Bill, has sparked political controversy, especially after a Calcutta High Court-appointed committee held the local TMC leadership accountable, citing police inaction and naming specific leaders.
Ghosh, citing the committee’s findings, alleged that the police ignored desperate calls for help from residents while rioters rampaged through the area.
“Local residents repeatedly called the police, but no help came. The police allowed the rioters to run amok. Only after the destruction was complete did the police arrive. This was a government-sponsored riot — a riot led by Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s recent verdict invalidating thousands of teacher appointments in the WBSSC scam, Ghosh said, “This violence was orchestrated with clear intent — to divide Hindus and Muslims, to distract from the WBSSC scam that had just shaken the state.”
He also raised broader questions about who benefits from such communal discord, indirectly pointing fingers at both the BJP and TMC.
“Divisive politics continues to thrive in Bengal, and the question is — who profits from it?” he asked.
Ghosh asserted that communal harmony in the state is a threat to both the ruling and opposition right-wing forces.
“If there is peace and unity among communities, the Left will emerge stronger. That is why these forces fuel conflict — to suppress the Left’s resurgence,” he concluded.
The High Court panel’s interim report, which has surfaced in public domain, lays specific blame on local TMC leaders, including Samserganj MLA Amirul Islam and former Dhulian municipal chairperson Mehboob Alam.
The report alleges that on April 11, shortly after 2:30 PM, Alam arrived with masked men from nearby areas such as Samserganj and Digri and led targeted attacks. It further claims that MLA Amirul Islam visited the scene, observed which houses were yet untouched, and then saw them being set ablaze, all while ignoring calls for help from panicked villagers in Betbona.
Both leaders have denied the accusations. Alam said he had tried to de-escalate the situation and was himself chased by armed miscreants while accompanied by Hindu neighbours.
“I respect the court, but the accusations are baseless. I would never destroy the ward I helped build,” he told the media.
Amirul Islam echoed this defense, calling the charges a conspiracy to tarnish his image.
“I was out there trying to stop the miscreants. Later, I even helped provide relief,” he claimed.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh rejected the committee's findings as part of the BJP’s political narrative.
“The violence in Murshidabad was condemnable, and the state did its job — arrests were made, and victims were supported. But the BJP is now using this to push propaganda,” he said, further alleging a larger conspiracy involving “outsiders,” possibly from across the international border.
The incident has added to the TMC’s growing troubles. In April, the Supreme Court upheld the cancellation of 25,753 school appointments due to the WBSSC scam. In May, the court ordered the release of a portion of the overdue Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears to state government employees.
The Murshidabad episode is the third blow in as many months, with opposition parties — both the BJP and CPI(M) — intensifying their attack on the ruling party.
BJP leaders have also used the committee’s report to allege that the TMC is indulging in “minority appeasement” and failing to maintain law and order. While earlier criticisms were more vague, the naming of individual leaders has sharpened the political narrative against the TMC.
As Bengal braces for a crucial electoral battle in 2026, the violence in Murshidabad has become a potent symbol of the larger concerns gripping the state — from governance failures to deepening communal rifts — and the political consequences are only beginning to unfold.
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