Waqf protesters attack cops in Jangipur, damage rail property
Times of India | 12 April 2025
Behrampore: Fresh waqf protests broke out in Jangipur's Suti and Samserganj on Friday, with police resorting to lathi-charge and bursting tear gas shells to stop the protestors from blocking NH-12 and the railway tracks.
Sources said the state govt has dispatched several senior IGP-ranked officers and three battalions to the affected zone. The BSF has also been kept on alert. Police reached out to community elders and made public announcements to bring the situation under control.
Since April 8, the Jangipur subdivision has been plagued by violent protests, forcing the administration to impose prohibitory orders and temporarily suspend Internet. Local cable operators have been asked to comply with legal norms.
On Friday, waqf protesters blocked NH-12 in Suti. Police personnel came under attack when they tried to lift the blockade. Around 11 cops were injured. The police then resorted to lathi-charge and used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Traffic came to a standstill on the highway for several hours.
Another group of protesters tried to block the Dhuliandanga and Nimtita railway stations. They also damaged a railway gate, disrupting the signalling system. This held up several trains.
The railways said in a statement: "Train services were disrupted in the New Farakka-Azimganj section of Eastern Railway on Friday owing to obstruction and vandalism by a group of people between Dhuliandanga and Nimtita stations... Four express trains were diverted, and two passenger trains were cancelled... About 5,000 people sat on the railway tracks at a level crossing gate, while another gate was damaged by the agitators."
A senior official said, "The NH-12 has been cleared for traffic. The railways are working to restore services. Police are patrolling the affected zones. Senior officers are present at the spot, supervising the law-and-order situation. Adequate police deployment has been made."