Murshidabad violence: A report names its leaders, leaves TMC with a fresh problem

Indian Express

24-05-2025

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal had already been battling accusations of mismanaging the situation in Murshidabad last month when communal violence rocked the border district. Now, providing ammunition to the Opposition, a Calcutta High Court-appointed committee has blamed the local TMC leadership, naming an MLA and a councillor, and alleging that the police were completely inactive.
With the Assembly elections less than a year away, the simmering situation in Murshidabad and the outing of the part of the report have allowed the BJP to step up its attack on the TMC and paint it as a party that engages in appeasement politics towards minorities. While earlier it was easier for the TMC to brush off any allegations, given that no specific allegations were raised against its leaders, the report changes that.
The leak marks the third setback for the party in the last couple of months. First, the Supreme Court on April 3 upheld the Calcutta High Court's verdict annulling the appointment of 25,753 teachers and ordering the government to initiate a fresh selection process. On May 16, the Supreme Court directed the government to release 25% of the outstanding Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears to its employees within six weeks.
The probe report on the Murshidabad violence states that the attacks were 'directed by the local councillor Mehboob Alam …. the local police was completely inactive and absent'. This refers to the anti-Waqf Amendment Act protests that erupted on April 11. According to the committee, the main attack occurred after 2.30 pm when 'Mehboob Alam came with miscreants', among them residents of Samserganj, Hizaltala, Shiulitala, and Digri who were masked.
The report alleges that Samserganj MLA Amirul Islam 'came, saw which houses were not attacked, and then the attackers set them ablaze … The villagers of Betbona telephoned, but the West Bengal Police did not respond … The MLA was also present. He saw the vandalism and went away'.
Alam, who is the former chairperson of Dhulian municipality, dismissed the allegations. 'I respect the court, but the allegations against me are completely false. The day the incident happened, I was at Kadamtala with four people from the Hindu community. When I saw miscreants running with weapons, I tried to stop them. They chased us and we went to Nadabpara. The Hindu families and I took shelter there and then called the officer in charge of Samserganj police station who did not receive calls at first. Once he picked up my call, he said he would look into it. But he did not do anything. I have helped develop my ward. Is it possible that I will set fire to the ward I helped develop? This is a BJP-RSS conspiracy,' said the TMC leader.
Amirul Islam also dismissed the allegations contained in the report. 'I was out there trying to stop the miscreants. I was one of the few party leaders who did it. It was my duty. Later, I toured the area and provided relief to people. This is a conspiracy.'
A local Trinamool leader said both Amirul and Alam had prospered under TMC rule. The MLA started as a local teacher but now runs a business, while Alam has ties with the local beedi industry.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the report establishes that Hindus were targeted in the violence and that TMC leaders were involved. 'The attitude of the police, instead of stopping the violence, seems to be ignoring the actions of TMC leaders,' he said.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed the allegations outright as the BJP's 'political propaganda'. 'What happened in Murshidabad is condemnable, nobody supports it,' Ghosh said, adding that following the violence, the state administration had fulfilled its duties, be it rehabilitation of the victims or making arrests in the matter.
'Another aspect involves the larger conspiracy,' Ghosh said. 'How did outsiders, possibly including those from across the border, enter (the state)? The TMC has been a responsible Opposition. At a time when the country is united in its fight against terror, BJP leaders are busy with propaganda on Murshidabad. This is a part of their conspiracy.'