​Communal cauldron: On a communal divide in West Bengal  

The three deaths in Murshidabad district during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act have exposed the deep political fault lines and the festering communal divide in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s repeated assurances that she would protect minority interests, and that the Act would not be implemented in the State, have done little to assuage the Muslim community. The violence, which began on April 8, continues unabated despite prohibitory orders and the suspension of Internet services. Mob attacks on public property have been reported from the Jangipur subdivision of Murshidabad and other parts of the State, including Kolkata. West Bengal has been a simmering communal cauldron for quite some time. Both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition BJP have sought to exploit communal polarisation for political gain. While the TMC tacitly encouraged Muslim protests against the Waqf amendments, the BJP backed communally charged Ram Navami processions across the State. Although the police have now warned of strict action against lawbreakers, their inaction before and during the current flare-up has been evident. The Calcutta High Court has since intervened, ordering the deployment of central armed police forces in Murshidabad.

The State remains on edge ahead of every major religious festival, and policing has grown weak and increasingly politicised. Even though Murshidabad witnessed similar violence in 2019 during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the administration has failed to prevent the current unrest. The violence is unfolding in one of the State’s most impoverished regions, where men migrate for work and women earn a living by rolling beedis. As tensions have escalated over the Ram Navami processions and the Waqf amendment, political parties have chosen to fan the flames rather than promote calm. This is part of a larger and troubling trend seen across the country. The Mamata Banerjee government must act swiftly and impartially to restore normalcy. The rule of law must be firmly established, and the police must prevent violence. With Assembly elections due in a year, the BJP and the TMC appear intent on pandering to communal sentiments for political gain. This must change. The focus must shift to governance and development. As the party in power, the TMC cannot absolve itself of responsibility by merely blaming the BJP.