Protests against the Waqf Amendment Act continued across various parts of West Bengal on Friday. In Kolkata, large crowds gathered at Park Circus and Esplanade to voice their dissent. Similar scenes of agitation were witnessed in several locations in Murshidabad as well Amtala in South 24-Parganas. In some places, clashes reportedly broke out between protesters and police personnel.
Amid the ongoing unrest, the BJP’s state unit has announced plans to hit the streets to raise awareness about the Waqf Amendment Act, which, party leaders claim, is being misinterpreted by the public. According to BJP sources, the state unit will launch a public outreach campaign from 24 April to highlight the positive aspects of the Act. A committee has already been formed by BJP national president JP Nadda to formulate the roadmap for the campaign. The Waqf Amendment Act, passed in Parliament, has now been implemented across the country.
Advertisement
However, the law has triggered protests in several regions, including West Bengal. Reacting to the development, state minister and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim asserted that the Act will not be implemented in West Bengal. “There is no scope for disruption in Bengal. The Waqf Bill protest will continue. Bengal is a land of communal harmony,” he said.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called for a high-level meeting on 16 April at Netaji Indoor Stadium to discuss the Waqf Amendment Act. The meeting will be attended by Firhad Hakim along with imams, muezzins, and intellectuals from across the state. Hakim confirmed that discussions on the Act would take place during the meeting and stated that the battle against the law would also be taken to the Supreme Court. It is noteworthy that Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf Amendment Act. As political and legal battles unfold, tensions over the contentious law continue to grip the state.