Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said on Sunday that Hindus were slaughtered and dragged from their homes during unrest in the Murshidabad region of West Bengal over the Waqf Act. He said that someone started the violence.
The chief minister said that “three Hindus were dragged out of their homes and killed”. “Who are all these? These are the same Dalits, deprived and poor, who are going to get the most benefit from this land,” he added. Yogi Adityanath said it was surprising that this was the “same country in which lakhs of acres of land has been occupied in the name of Waqf”. “They (occupiers) have no papers, no revenue records and ever since the (Waqf) Amendment Bill was passed and action is being taken, violence is being instigated for it,” he was quoted as saying by news agency.
Three persons, including a father-son pair, were slain earlier this week in the Muslim-majority Murshidabad region as a result of altercations purportedly connected to continuous demonstrations against the rule. Because of the violence, 150 people have been arrested by the West Bengal police.
The BSF was sent in to bring the rioting in Murshidabad under control after a special bench of the Calcutta high court ordered the deployment of central forces “immediately” following widespread violence.
BSF DIG Nilotpal Kumar Pandey said on Sunday that the situation in the West Bengal district remained tense but under control. “The situation remains tense, and people are fearful, but it is under control. Yesterday, many areas were in a tense state, but today, the situation has improved. We hope that with everyone’s efforts, normalcy will be restored soon,” he was quoted as saying by news agency.
