
'Mamata Banerjee saving rioters': BJP vs Trinamool over Waqf violence report
The BJP accused Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of shielding the Murshidabad rioters after a panel set up by the Calcutta High Court alleged that a local Trinamool leader played a key role in orchestrating the attacks. The allegation invited a swift clapback from the ruling Trinamool, which accused the BJP of politicising the incident, which left three dead.The report by the three-member committee, set up to probe the anti-Waqf protests in Murshidabad, pointed to serious lapses by the authorities. It also alleged that a local councillor directed the attacks in Dhuliyan.advertisementThe report mentioned that as many as 113 houses were vandalised in Betbona village and several temples were destroyed in the violence, which erupted during protests over the passage of the Waqf bill.'VIOLENCE AGAINST HINDUS AT BEHEST OF TMC LEADERS'
Addressing a press conference, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the report exposed that the violence was carried out against Hindus at the behest of some Trinamool leaders. He also demanded an apology from Mamata Banerjee."If Hindus were selectively killed in Pahalgam, attempts were made in Murshidabad to selectively kill Hindus and destroy their houses. Violence was carried out against the Hindus in a well-planned manner at the behest of Trinamool leaders," he said.Bengal BJP chief and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar alleged that there were attempts to molest girls during the violence and demanded an apology from the Chief Minister.advertisement"Mamata Banerjee tried to save these rioters. She lied and misled the people of the state. She should apologise to the people of the state for lying," Majumdar said.Majumdar also said that the Trinamool councillor, mentioned in the report, didn't try to save the Hindus. "His name (Mehboob Alam) was mentioned by the local residents, those whose houses were vandalised, and temples were demolished," he said.TRINAMOOL REACTSHitting back, senior Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh stood by the party's stand that outsiders were brought from Bangladesh to foment trouble in Murshidabad."Investigation is still on and all conspiracies are being looked at. Arrests are happening and compensation is given (to victims)," Ghosh said."After Operation Sindoor, we are playing the role of a responsible opposition. But, the BJP is politicising the Murshidabad violence," he further said.Must Watch
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Amid talks of patch-up with Uddhav, Raj Thackeray meets CM Devendra Fadnavis at Mumbai hotel
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a five-star hotel in Mumbai, sparking speculation that he may be considering a realignment with the BJP-led Mahayuti government instead of an alliance with cousin Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). The meeting between the two leaders took place at Taj Lands End in Bandra and lasted over an hour. The meeting was neither pre-announced nor part of either leader's official schedule. The development comes after nearly two months of emotional appeals, symbolic gestures, and strategic signalling by the Shiv Sena (UBT) to reunite the Thackeray cousins under a unified 'Marathi manoos' banner. Uddhav, son Aaditya, and senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders like Sanjay Raut have repeatedly urged a reconciliation, claiming the larger cause of Marathi identity and regional pride warranted a reconciliation. However, while Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders and workers had leaned heavily on public messaging—old photos, social media posts, and even the Saamana front page—the MNS has kept mum. Though Raj hinted on an April 19 podcast that he prioritises Maharashtra over personal disagreements, his party quickly clarified that unity on issues does not equate to electoral alliances. The MNS's top leadership has insisted that no formal proposal has been received. On June 5, Raj's son Amit had bluntly remarked that 'alliances are not formed through media sound bites', making it clear that the MNS was unmoved. Thursday's meeting with Fadnavis deepens that perception. Coming just days before both Raj (June 14) and Aaditya's (June 13) birthdays—an occasion Shiv Sena (UBT) workers had tried to frame as symbolic for unity—this unscheduled engagement with Fadnavis suggests Raj may be playing a different game. According to political observers in the state, the meeting cannot be a mere courtesy call as it comes at a time when the civic polls are set to be held and with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) a key target, an MNS-BJP alliance may gain more traction than a Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS one. Responding to the meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former BMC mayor Kishori Pednekar said that it was too early to comment on the matter. 'Let us wait and watch. Both brothers have called their differences minor, and there is also a shared feeling among the MNS and Sena UBT workers. So let us see how it goes.. it would be inappropriate to jump the gun now,' she said. On Thursday, the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, had also offered Raj the opportunity to join hands with them. 'Earlier, too, during the Assembly, we had offered to ally. Now also, we are open to an alliance. We still offer Raj saheb to come with us,' Sena leader and minister Sanjay Shirsat had said.


New Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Protests over immigration raids pop up across the US with more planned
San Antonio More than 400 people gathered outside of city hall Wednesday evening for an anti-ICE demonstration, according to local authorities. The protest was largely peaceful, with many blasting music and some handing out water. Nearby streets were closed off as law enforcement officers watched from hundreds of feet away. Dozens walked there from the historic Alamo mission after police closed off the area before the protest began. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus encouraged peaceful demonstration but said his officers would respond if "it turns violent.' Officers with the Texas Public Safety Department said the Texas National Guard was present at the protest. Members were not seen standing with law enforcement officers in front of a small crowd of demonstrators. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott declined to say how many soldiers would be sent or how, only that they would be deployed in 'strategic locations where they can provide the most robust response' necessary. He did not say whether he or the president mobilized them. 'There are others outside of this room who would like to know that. And I'm not going to tell them,' Abbott said. 'We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas.' Mayor Ron Nirenberg said he did not ask the governor to deploy the National Guard troops and officials said they did not know how many troops were being sent, where they would be stationed or what they would do. 'I want to acknowledge the anger and frustration that's out there with the federal government's crude interpretations of immigration law and cruel approach to human rights,' Nirenberg said. 'Exercise your right to free speech, but I urge you to keep it lawful and peaceful." Philadelphia About 150 protesters gathered outside the Federal Detention Center on Tuesday afternoon and marched to ICE headquarters then back to the detention center. Police ordered a group marching along a major road to disperse and when they ignored the orders officers arrested 15 of them. Several officers used force during the arrests and their conduct will be reviewed, police said, without detailing what kind of force was used. Two officers suffered minor injuries.


India Today
23 minutes ago
- India Today
Crops hit, dams at dead level: Pak water crisis deepens after India's Indus move
Pakistan is facing a severe water crisis, with the agricultural industry looking at deeper impacts, in the aftermath of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre in which Islamabad-backed terrorists gunned down 26 people, mostly Indus River System Authority (IRSA) reported discharging 11,180 cusecs of additional water than it received on Wednesday, worsening the water crisis. Furthermore, the water levels at the two major reservoirs in Pakistan - Tarbela on the Indus and Mangla on the Jhelum - have dropped to dead storage, thereby indicating the crisis will reservoir water reaching its dead storage levels also means that it cannot be drained out by gravity, thus limiting its use for irrigation or drinking. The water crisis is even stronger in the Punjab province, where the kharif season has started. The kharif farming has witnessed a dip of more than 20 per cent owing to receiving 1.14 lakh cusecs of water as opposed to 1.43 lakh cusecs a day last year. The production of kharif crops - cotton and maize - has declined by over 30 per cent and 15 per cent in Pakistan, respectively. The production of wheat - a rabi crop - has also dropped by around 9 per cent owing to the water shortage in the the agricultural industry, especially the kharif outputs impacted, its overall share in Pakistan's GDP dipped to 23.54 per cent in fiscal 2025 from 24.03 per cent the previous financial situation is expected to deteriorate in the upcoming weeks, especially as India undertakes regular desilting and flushing its dams in Jammu and Kashmir to enhance its own storage capacity. Additionally, with the monsoon still weeks away, IRSA has warned of a 21 per cent water shortage in the early kharif season and 7 per cent towards the has been relentless in its efforts to convince India to reinstate the Indus treaty. Last week, India Today reported that Islamabad wrote as many as four letters to Delhi, urging the latter to reconsider its decision to stop the treaty before Operation Sindoor. Sources told India Today TV that Pakistan also requested the World Bank, which brokered the deal, to intervene in the matter. However, the global body refused to mediate in the Indus Waters Treaty allocates the eastern rivers - Ravi, Beas and Sutlej - to India and the western ones, such as Jhelum, Chenab and Indus, to Pakistan. Responding to the water move last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi firmly said that water and blood cannot flow is also strengthening its water infrastructure, aimed at bettering its domestic storage and strategic hold over the shared waters. This includes new canal projects connecting Beas to Ganga and Indus to Reel IN THIS STORY#Operation Sindoor#India-Pakistan