'They failed to stop Pahalgam': TMC's Kunal Ghosh targets BJP over 'provocative politics' on Murshidabad violence

Time of India

21-05-2025

NEW DELHI: TMC leader
Kunal Ghosh
on Wednesday accused the BJP of playing "dirty and provocative politics" over the
Murshidabad violence
that erupted in April. Ghosh contrasted this with the
Pahalgam terror attack
claiming that the "BJP couldn't stop the attack by extremists" whereas, the TMC was playing the role of a "responsible opposition".
"BJP could not stop an attack by extremists in Pahalgam, but TMC and West Bengal Government are playing the role of responsible Opposition. An all-party delegation is going abroad, Abhishek Banerjee is a party of that delegation. So, in such times, what Amit Malviya and other BJP leaders are doing over Murshidabad is a dirty and provocative politics," Ghosh said.
— ANI (@ANI)
He praised West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the state administration for taking swift action.
"After that, CM Mamata Banerjee, Police and Administration did whatever had to be done. Criminals were caught and the process is ongoing. Compensation is being provided to families of the deceased and injured, families whose houses or shops were damaged. Government has done it."
Referring to allegations that outsiders may have instigated the violence, Ghosh said, "Whether people came from outside the borders or from other places to plan all this, investigation is being done on all such indications."
Speaking on the report by a three-member committee appointed by the Calcutta high court on the Murshidabad violence, Ghosh said that party "will analyse and then speak on it".
The report highlighted significant lapses by local authorities in West Bengal regarding the anti-Waqf protests in Murshidabad that escalated into violence. The committee's findings revealed that the "main attack" occurred on April 11, with local police failing to take action or intervene.
It also accused a local councillor of orchestrating the violence in Dhulian town.
The high court, on April 17, directed the formation of a committee to assist in identifying and rehabilitating those displaced by the violence. During the unrest over the Waqf Act, a father and son, Harogobindo Das and Chandan Das, were found brutally murdered in Shamsherganj's Jafrabad area.
The report, submitted by Joginder Singh, Satya Arnab Ghosal, and Saugata Chakraborty, also stressed the need for tailored rehabilitation packages for victims. It noted widespread mob violence in Murshidabad between April 8 and 12, with central forces eventually deployed to restore order.
The violence sparked political controversy, with BJP accusing the attacks of targeting "Hindu families", while CM Mamata Banerjee claimed the violence was "orchestrated and planned".