'TMC's anti-Hindu cruelty exposed': BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi on fact-finding report on Murshidabad violence

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi. (File photo/ANI)

After a report was submitted by the committee set up by Calcutta High Court for identification and rehabilitation of victims of anti-Waqf protests-related violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a scathing attack at the Mamata Banerjee-led government and said that the report revealed government's "cruelty" towards Hindus.

The Rajya Sabha MP said that the SIT report on violence has "clearly" and "unambiguously" indicated that violence was carried out by targeting Hindus and TMC leaders were involved in it.

While addressing the media, he said, "The SIT report has exposed West Bengal Trinamool Congress government's anti-Hindu cruelty. The SIT was formed following the directives of court (Calcutta High Court). The three-member SIT including Registrar, National Human Right Commission and two other members were from Bengal Legal Services. People who used to say what was the need to attack Pakistan and that only terrorists should have been targeted... none of those people questioned why Hindus were attacked in Murshidabad. Those who didn't even say a sentence over the death of father-son duo Hargovind Das and Chandan Das were suddenly seen sympathising with Pakistan following Operation Sindoor."

Further questioning the role of Bengal cops during the violence, Trivedi accused them of ignoring the actions of TMC leaders.

He further said, "The findings of report by the committee appointed by the Calcutta High Court regarding the violence in Murshidabad states that 'all the attacks were carried out on 11th April from 2 PM onwards under the instructions of local leader Mahmood Alam and police and administration did nothing'... It is clear from the findings that a leader of Mamata Banerjee's party was involved in this... Another finding states 'a total of 113 houses were damaged and they fled to Malda'. Some leaders of TMC were saying that nothing happened, and no big untoward incident took place. This has been made clear from the report that 113 houses were destroyed and people had to migrate from there..."

#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi says "The findings of report by the committee appointed by the Calcutta High Court regarding the violence in Murshidabad states that 'all the attacks were carried out on 11th April from 2 PM onwards under the instructions of local leader pic.twitter.com/xQEyEzSBoX
ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2025

"The chain of violence against Hindus by targeting them is clearly visible from Murishidabad to Pahalgam," he added.

What did the fact-finding report state?

A fact-finding report by a committee set up by the Calcutta High Court for identification and rehabilitation of victims of anti-Waqf protests-related violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district said that the local police were "inactive and absent" during the incidents at Dhulian on April 11.

It also mentioned that a local councillor directed the attacks at Dhulian town in Murshidabad, PTI reported. The report, submitted to the high court by the three-member committee, stated that a garments mall in Dhulian was also looted.

Noting that the "main attack" occurred on the afternoon of April 11, the report said "Local police were completely inactive and absent." The panel, comprising Joginder Singh, Registrar, (Law), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Satya Arnab Ghosal, member secretary, West Bengal Legal Services Authority (WBLSA) and Saugata Chakraborty, Registrar, WBJS, submitted the report to the high court last week after visiting the affected areas and speaking to the victims as directed by the division bench hearing the matter.

The report stated that the majority of residences had taken shelter in Malda but all of them have been forced to return by the police administration in Betbona village.

The report further said that the people want permanent BSF camps and Central Armed Forces for their own protection. "The West Bengal Police did not respond. The villager of Betbona called at 4p.m. on Friday and 4p.m. on Saturday but police did not pick up the call," the reports added, according to ANI.

The high court had on April 17 ordered the formation of the committee for the identification and rehabilitation of people displaced by the violence during the protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in Murshidabad district.

The report also said that the miscreants cut off the water connection so that the fire cannot be extinguished with water. "The miscreants have burnt all the clothes in the house with the kerosene oil and the woman of the house had no clothes to cover her body," it added.

The SIT report, referring to the murder of Haragovinda Das (74) and his son Chandan Das (40), stated, "They broke down the main door of the house and took her son (Chandan Das) and took her husband [Haragovinda Das] and hit them with an axe in the back. A man was waiting there until they died."

(With inputs from agencies)