West Bengal: Over 200 arrested for violent protests against Waqf Act in Murshidabad

The West Bengal Police on Monday said that more than 200 persons have been arrested in connection with recent violent protests against the Waqf Act in Murshidabad district that have left three dead, The Indian Express.

“For the last 36 hours, there have been no reports of fresh violence,” the newspaper quoted Javed Shamim, additional director general (law and order) as saying on Monday. “We are now putting all our efforts and channelising all our energy into bringing normalcy.”

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.

The recent changes to the law curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them.

The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill brought changes to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act, including allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function.

The bill was cleared by Parliament on April 4. It received presidential assent on April 5 and took effect on April 8.

On the same day that the Act came into effect, a mob clashed with the police, threw stones and set the vehicles of security forces on fire in Murshidabad’s...

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