MURSHIDABAD, India (Diya TV) — Authorities ramped up security in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India on Sunday, deploying 17 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) after violent protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act left three people dead and dozens injured, including police personnel, on Saturday.

West Bengal Director-General of Police Rajeev Kumar convened meetings with top officers and said the situation was “under control.” The crackdown followed clashes that erupted across the district on April 12, where mobs torched vehicles, pelted stones at police, and left at least 18 officers injured, according to local police reports.

Jangipur Superintendent of Police Ananda Roy confirmed that 155 people were arrested in connection with the violence, urging residents not to fall for rumors and to reach out directly to law enforcement for accurate information.

The unrest spurred the deployment of nine additional Border Security Force (BSF) companies, with Inspector-General Karni Singh Shekhawat overseeing operations on the ground. A total of 23 senior officers from West Bengal police and central agencies have been stationed across sensitive areas to prevent further flare-ups.

Meanwhile, tensions rippled beyond Murshidabad. On Monday, fresh violence broke out at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas, where protesters led by Indian Secular Front MLA Nawshad Siddique clashed with police, torched five patrol motorcycles, attacked a prison van, and injured several officers during demonstrations against the same legislation.

State BJP leaders escalated their criticism, with MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato writing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the central government to declare Murshidabad and three neighboring districts as “disturbed areas” under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). BJP also alleged that hundreds of Hindus had fled Dhulian in Murshidabad, seeking refuge across the river in Baishnabnagar, Malda district. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari called for the safe return of the displaced families and posted his appeal on social media.

The Trinamool Congress countered these claims, accusing the BJP of spreading misinformation by circulating old, unrelated photos to stoke communal tensions. Senior party leader Kunal Ghosh pointed out that images from anti-CAA protests in Lucknow and incidents in Jalandhar were falsely shared as evidence of the Murshidabad violence.

Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to uphold law and order, warning that “violence will be met with strict punishment, irrespective of the community or religious identity of the perpetrators.”

As the situation stabilized, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Jawed Shamim reported that more than 200 arrests had been made statewide. He also confirmed that about 100 to 200 people who had fled their homes during the violence were beginning to return from temporary shelters in Malda.

The state government, facing criticism from both the Opposition and civil society, has insisted the Waqf (Amendment) Act will not be enforced in Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while inaugurating a skywalk at Kolkata’s Kalighat Temple on Sunday, urged both restraint and peace. “Everyone has the right to protest, but only with permission. There will be provocations, but one must not fall into the trap of violence,” she said.

The deployment of CAPF in Murshidabad followed an order from the Calcutta High Court, underscoring the gravity of the unrest that has rattled the region in recent days. Senior BSF and CRPF officers, including BSF Additional Director General Ravi Gandhi, have held ground-level meetings with West Bengal Police leadership to monitor the situation.

As the state limps back to normalcy, political parties across the spectrum remain sharply divided over the causes and fallout of the violence, with both sides accusing each other of inciting tensions for political gain.