In West Bengal’s Murshidabad where three persons were killed and several were injured due to communal violence following a protest against the Waqf Amendment Act, the intelligence agencies have now unearthed links to not only neighbouring Bangladesh but also to Pakistan and Turkey. According to reports, while Pakistan’s ISI played a crucial role in inciting the violence, an NGO from Turkey funded the communal plot with the help of two Bengal-based NGOs.
The local NGOs helped mobilise logistical support for the rioters and they were given training in Madarsas. As per the report, the rioters were even trained to kill security personnel.
The groups were mobilised using social media and WhatsApp. According to reports, rumours circulating on WhatsApp groups, fake social media profiles, and coordinated mass mobilization converged to ignite a wave of communal violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad last week, triggered by the recently enacted Waqf Amendment Act. All this was aided by Pakistan and Bangladesh-based handlers.
In the aftermath of the clashes, which left three people dead, authorities have taken strict action—blocking 1,093 social media accounts and arresting 221 individuals involved in spreading misinformation and inciting unrest.
Reports even said that Bangladeshi radicals were allegedly aided by local leaders of a political party to carry out the violence. The intelligence report said that members of two Bangladesh-based radical outfits — Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) — were allegedly involved in the violence in Murshidabad.
The Border Security Force (BSF), which is deployed along the India-Bangladesh border, has also been instructed to keep a strict vigil so that illegal infiltration does not take place in the West Bengal sector, the sources said.
Violent protests erupted on Friday and Saturday in pockets of the district, including Suti, Dhulian and Jangipur, following anger over the amended Waqf Act. The demonstrations soon escalated into clashes, leaving at least three people dead and several injured.