Murshidabad, a historic heartland of West Bengal, is ablaze with violence that exposes the state’s fractured governance and the dangerous undercurrents of political appeasement. Since 8 April 2025, protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act have spiralled into deadly chaos, claiming at least three lives, injuring dozens, and shattering communities.

On 12 April, the Calcutta High Court, decrying the state’s “inadequate" response, ordered the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to quell the unrest, noting a “grave and volatile" situation. Yet, as central forces step in, the deeper issue festers: a refusal to take responsibility. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accused of prioritising Muslim vote banks through appeasement politics, deflects blame to the Centre, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inflames tensions with divisive rhetoric.

The Centre watches from a distance, and Bengal’s civil society remains eerily silent.

Murshidabad’s violence is a symptom of Mamata’s calculated electoral strategy and a broader leadership failure. Her pandering for votes has deepened divisions, leaving Bengal’s people to pay the price. Until accountability triumphs over vote-bank politics, Murshidabad’s flames will only grow.

The violence in Murshidabad, erupting over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, underscores a state government more invested in votes than stability. Clashes in Jangipur and Samserganj since April 8 saw mobs torch police vans, block roads, and commit brutal killings – a father and son hacked to death, another shot dead. The Calcutta High Court’s April 12 order for CAPF deployment came with a scathing........

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