"Hindus are forced to flee West Bengal...": Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Murshidabad violence

Calling the Murshidabad violence "unfortunate," Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday attacked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that Hindus are "forced" to flee the state.

"Hindus' security is the responsibility of Mamata Banerjee along with Muslims. Murshidabad violence shows Hindus are forced to flee West Bengal... It is unfortunate that this is happening in front of the state government," Singh told reporters in Begusarai.

This comes after demonstrations opposing the Waqf Act turned violent in Murshidabad and damaged public property. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on April 2 and 3, respectively.


Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Praveen Khandelwal took a dig at the West Bengal government for the violence in Murshidabad over the Waqf (Amendment) Act and said that it was concerning how freedom of expression was being suppressed in the state and that the government was not taking action.

Speaking to ANI, Khandelwal said, "The West Bengal government is unable or reluctant to stop this anarchy... It concerns the way freedom of expression is being suppressed in the state, and the government there is not doing anything about it. The state government should quickly take action against those who are spreading violence..."

He also questioned the work of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and asked if the state government was encouraging violent activities.

"This raises a question about the Chief Minister's work... Is the state government encouraging such activities by watching in silence?" the BJP MP questioned.

Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in both Houses and later received the President's assent, after which it became a law. On April 5, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, seeks to focus on improving the management of waqf properties, empowering relevant stakeholders, improving the efficiency of survey, registration, and case disposal processes, and developing waqf properties.