Bengal Governor warns of radicalisation in state in Murshidabad riots report
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, in his report to the Centre on the recent violence in Murshidabad, warned of a growing threat from what he described as the 'twin spectre of radicalisation and militancy' in the state. He submitted a detailed report to the Union Home Ministry regarding the recent riots in Murshidabad district, which were triggered by protests against the anti-Waqf Amendment Act.advertisement"The twin spectre of radicalisation and militancy poses a serious challenge for West Bengal, especially in two of the several districts sharing an international border with Bangladesh, viz., Murshidabad and Malda," the governor said in his report.The report highlighted concerns over law and order in border districts and suggested several measures, including the formation of a commission of enquiry and permanent deployment of central forces in vulnerable regions bordering Bangladesh.
Governor Bose warned of a potential 'spillover' of violence to other districts such as Malda and Uttar Dinajpur, which also share borders with Bangladesh and have complex demographic profiles.Of late, there are "indications of radicalisation and polarisation", the report said.'The divisions are so deep that even in the face of escalation of violence, the chief minister's repeated 'undertaking' that she would protect minority interests... have done little to assuage the Muslim community or stem the tide,' the governor stated in the report.advertisementAccording to news agency PTI, when asked about the mention of "the provisions under Article 356 of the Constitution" in the report, an official said, "The governor has not proposed for implementation of Article 356 (Presiden't Rule). He meant to say that the provisions of Article 356 of the Constitution are open to the Centre if the situation in the state further deteriorates."The governor's report comes nearly a month after the violent unrest broke out in Murshidabad, which claimed at least three lives, including a man and his son, and left several injured.Calling the riots 'premeditated,' Bose alleged that the state government was aware of the imminent threat but failed to act effectively. He cited the state's suspension of internet services on April 8 - the same day the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 was notified - as evidence of the administration's prior knowledge.'Clearly, the sequence of events that unfolded shows the woeful lack of coordination among administration and law enforcement agencies that were either too feeble to rise up to the challenge or were reluctant to do so,' he stated.GOVERNOR'S KEY RECOMMENDATIONSIntroduction of central legislation allowing Union Government intervention in law and order crises when state mechanisms collapse.Institution of a Commission of Enquiry under the 1952 Act to examine administrative lapses and suggest long-term safeguards.Deployment of permanent BSF and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) outposts in vulnerable border areas such as Murshidabad and Malda.Enhanced surveillance and intelligence coordination across districts bordering Bangladesh, to address cross-border threats and ideological radicalisation.Exploration of constitutional options, including Article 356, if the situation continues to deteriorate.The Governor emphasised that ensuring the safety and constitutional rights of all citizens must remain the foremost priority, and that inaction or politicisation of law and order threatens the secular and democratic fabric of the nation.With PTI inputsTune InMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#West Bengal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
13 minutes ago
- Mint
Trump administration issues total travel ban from 12 nations, partial restrictions from 7 others; is India in the list?
US President Donald Trump issued a fresh proclamation restricting entry into the United States for travelers from specific countries. There is total travel ban from 12 countries and partial restrictions for seven others, a CBS News report said. The proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Meanwhile, there is a partial restriction on entry of people from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. As per the proclaimation, there is no travel restrictions for Indians who intends to visit the United States. In his first term, Trump introduced a travel ban targeting seven predominantly Muslim countries. The policy underwent multiple revisions before the Supreme Court upheld it in 2018. Later, Joe Biden, overturned the ban when he took office, denouncing it as 'a stain on our national conscience.'
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
SC dismisses Delhi Waqf Board appeal seeking possession of gurdwara
New Delhi The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by the Delhi Waqf Board seeking possession of a pre-independence gurudwara in Oldenpur village of Shahdara as waqf property, observing that the board should have relinquished its claim once the records showed that a religious structure had been functioning on the land since 1948. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma passed the order on a 2012 appeal filed by the board, challenging a Delhi high court order of September 24, 2010, which held the property to be in possession of the late Hira Singh, who had purchased it from Mohammad Ahsan in 1953. Dismissing the appeal, the court said, 'The records show there is a gurudwara functioning since Partition. Once a religious structure is there, you should yourself relinquish your claim.' The Waqf Board, represented by senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose, contended that the high court disturbed concurrent findings by a trial court, first in October 1982 and then again in February 1989, in the board's favour. He said that the property has been since time immemorial dedicated as waqf property and witnesses in the suit deposed that there was a mosque and 'some sort of a gurudwara' came to be built over that. The bench interjected Ghose and said, 'It is not some sort of gurudwara. There is a fully functional gurudwara there.' The board claimed that the property in question was gazette notified on December 3, 1970, and subsequently corrected by another notification of April 29, 1978, published in the Delhi Gazette on May 18, 1978. As per the Waqf Board records, the property in question was notified as 'Masjid Takia Babbar Shah'. The high court, in its judgment, had said: 'The defendant (Singh) was admittedly in occupation of this property since 1947-48... It is also true that the defendant was not able to adduce any document of title to evidence the purchase of this property, yet this does not in any manner benefit the plaintiff (Waqf Board) who has to establish his own case and prove it to enable him to obtain a decree of possession.' The high court had noted that although the board claimed it to be waqf property, no dates were given as to from which date the property was being used as a masjid. 'This assumes special relevance as the defendant (Singh) in his written statement had specifically controverted this stand.' The board had relied on the deposition of witnesses, who attested to the fact that the mosque was constructed by Muslim owners of the property, and the defendant occupied it illegally since 1948. The high court relied on a 1979 Supreme Court decision in the Board of Muslim Waqfs, Rajasthan case, where it held that where a stranger who is a non-Muslim and is in possession of a certain property his right, title and interest therein cannot be put in jeopardy merely because the property is included in the list published under the Waqf Act, 1954. Going by this verdict, the high court held that the gazette notification of the property being waqf 'would not be binding on a stranger or a person who does not fall in the category of 'person interested in a wakf' as defined under Section 3(h) of the act. Singh had pointed out that the Gurudwara Managing Committee was managing the premises in dispute. It was further stated that the Waqf Board had filed two suits that were withdrawn in 1970 and 1978. He further pointed out that under Section 64 of the Limitation Act, a suit for recovery of possession of property has to be filed within 12 years from the date when the right to sue accrued. In the present case, the Waqf Board filed the suit in December 1980, which was time-barred.
The Print
33 minutes ago
- The Print
If Centre stops at job quota, it'll be serious breach of trust—Wangchuk reiterates Ladakhis' core demands
Speaking to ThePrint, Sonam Wangchuk said the notification addressed only 'the third and least important' of the core demands of Ladakhis, adding that if the Centre now stopped, it would be a 'serious breach of trust'. The central government on Tuesday released a notification , reserving 85% of all government jobs in Ladakh for locals, and a third of all seats in the hill councils for women on a rotational basis. New Delhi : Climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk is among the prominent Ladakhi voices, terming the recently notified policies on domiciles, job reservations, the composition of hill councils, and the official languages of the Union Territory as 'only a partial resolution'. 'This is not a resolution of Ladakhi issues. It is only a partial resolution of the third and least important of our demands—youth employment. The core demands of statehood and the Sixth Schedule protections have not even come up for discussions yet.' 'People are confused and anxious, fearing the Centre would project the job reservations as the final solution. If that happens, it will be a serious breach of trust,' Sonam Wangchuk said. 'The Centre earlier assured us of taking only the first step towards resolving urgent issues now. If the notification is the only step, it, for sure, does not address the main demands, and the people of Ladakh will, in that case, feel cheated.' Speaking to ThePrint, Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, the president of Ladakh Buddhist Association and co-convener of Leh Apex Body, said, 'It is the best we could negotiate with the Centre for now. It met one of our key demands—85% job reservation for Ladakhis. But there is still confusion among people, which is why they are not celebrating yet.' 'Many wrongly believe that STs (Scheduled Tribes) from outside can claim benefits. We will hold a press conference to clear that up,' he added. On the other hand, calling the notification a 'welcome move', members of different hill councils said that the discussions on the remaining demands would take place at some later point. The notification also restricted the children of central government employees from becoming Ladakh 'domiciles' until they proved they had continuously lived in Ladakh for 15 years, starting 31 October 2019, or the day Ladakh became a UT. It also declared English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti, and Purgi as the UT's official languages. Also Read: Shivaji statue in Ladakh is part of an unfortunate trend. Indian Army must introspect Ladakhis wait & watch The Centre's notification, of course, is not all bad. It, after all, is the wind beneath the wings of the youth awaiting government action for a long time. 'The announcement brings relief for unemployed youth and understaffed departments, but even that is only partial,' Sonam Wangchuk said. 'We were hoping for a 30-year domicile cut-off, not 15 years, as notified all of a sudden.' According to Sonam Wangchuk, people are still willing to place trust in the Centre, but only if it keeps the promises of providing full democratic rights to Ladakhis and implementing the Sixth Schedule in the region, providing special provisions for the administration of the tribal areas. Sonam Wangchuk said that Ladakh's statehood and the Sixth Schedule protections were the top agendas in the BJP manifesto released before the 2020 elections to the hill councils in Ladakh—demands, so far, unfulfilled. Now, elections are again approaching, and if the BJP meets the two main demands before polling, all parties might withdraw from contesting. Sonam Wangchuk said that in the September elections, people would hand the hill councils over to the Centre on a platter if it sincerely addressed their main demands. 'Parties are saying the government can win—uncontested—in that case,' Sonam Wangchuk said. 'However, if the discussion ends with domicile, it will not be enough for the leadership or the people. In case the Centre sincerely pursues discussions on security and democracy, Ladakh will forever be grateful,' he added. How Ladakhis will eventually feel about the central government depends on what will happen next—the public is 'expecting real talks' to begin soon. 'If the real talks begin now, this is a welcome start. If not, people will respond through the next elections,' Sonam Wangchuk warned. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Who was Tsetan Namgyal, 'unsung hero' who served with the Indian Army in the 1962 war
