Day after violence, Bengal’s Bhangar limps back to normalcy; 9 arrested

Efforts to clear the debris commenced promptly on Tuesday morning; and by afternoon, the road near the Sonepur Bazar bridge was cleared, signaling the gradual return to normalcy in the south Bengal town.

So far, nine people have been arrested for Monday’s violence. While eight were arrested from Uttar Kashipur, one was nabbed in Chandaneswar, police sources said.

“Raids are on. No one involved will be spared,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rupesh Kumar said, adding that police were committed to bringing all the perpetrators of Monday’s violence to justice.

The arrests followed an overnight search operation, with three individuals initially detained on Monday night and an additional six taken into custody later.

Police have filed at least three FIRs. Those arrested face multiple charges, including vandalism of government property, spreading violence, and obstructing police work.

What triggered the clashes

Eyewitness accounts suggested that the initial trigger for the clash was the police stopping the supporters of India Secular Front (ISF) on Basanti Highway in Bhangar from heading to Kolkata’s Ramlila Maidan to take part in a rally called by party MLA Naushad Siddiqui against the newly enacted Waqf law by the BJP government at the Centre.

According to the residents, the situation escalated quickly when ISF workers found that police were not allowing them to move ahead citing no permission was granted to them.

Officials said the violence first broke out near Bhojerhat on Basanti Highway as protesters tried to breach police barricades, resulting in clashes. Soon, the violence spread to adjoining areas like Minakhan and Sandeshkhali. Police responded with a lathicharge to disperse the crowd. At least one ISF worker sustained head injury, said residents of the area.

The protest caused significant disruption to the traffic along Basanti Highway.

News of the Basanti Highway clash subsequently reached Sonepur Bazar, where residents had convened a meeting to discuss strategies for protesting the Waqf law and were expecting Siddique to join them.

Afrin Islam, a resident of the area, said, “There was a meeting in Sonepur Bazar to discuss the strategies to protest the Waqf law. Suddenly, a bunch of policemen came and tried to disperse the gathering. After a heated exchange, residents attacked the police. As police were chased away, the protesters pelted stones, broke window glasses and set several motorbikes on fire.”

It was outside the Sonepur Haat masjid that five bikes were torched.

While condemning the violence, Mohammad Alauddin, the muezzin of the local mosque, told The Indian Express, “Since the Waqf Bill was passed in the Parliament, we have been holding meetings. We all are against this law, but the way people are taking the law into their hands is also not correct. We continue to appeal for peace.”

Md Khalique Ansari, the former vice-president of the state Minority Cell also appealed for peace. “It is their (BJP) government, and they have passed the Bill… At no cost should people indulge in arson and violence. It is your right to protest. We all have been appealing to people to maintain peace,” said Ansari.

Fear and apprehension over new Waqf law

Residents of Bhangar expressed their opposition to the amended Waqf law, calling it “anti-Muslim”.

Justifying the protests, one man after offering his evening prayers at the local mosque said, “If we don’t show strength today, they will do anything which is against our community.”

Articulating the community’s fear, Asadul Molla, a mango trader at Sonepur Bazar, said: “Waqf property daan ki property hai. Aaj ye kanun ka naam lekar kal ye humse hamari zameen or kabaristan bhi le lenge. Dafanane bhar ki zameen na mili to? (Waqf property is donated property. In the name of law and regulation today, they would acquire our land and burial ground tomorrow. What if we might not be left with land to bury our dead?).”

Israful Molla, a local shopkeeper, echoed the sentiment, saying, “Waqf law is anti-Muslim, and we must stand together to oppose it. The violence could have been avoided since policemen were chased away and beaten up, but it is also important to register our protest.”

“If the BJP had ever thought good about Muslims, then they would have had a Muslim MP and MLA in the party,” Firoz Ali said as he stressed why people from his community have little belief in the BJP government’s claim that the Waqf law will be beneficial for their community.

As the sun began to set, shopkeepers in Bhangar started reopening their shops in the presence of police force.