Following the passing of historic Citizenship Amendment Act (CAB), many members belonging to various Muslim organisations have held protests that soon turned into violence, especially in West Bengal.
Reportedly, protests against the CAB were planned soon after Friday prayers across mosques in the State and other various parts of the country which has resulted in extreme violence in parts of West Bengal.
According to reports, a railway station complex in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district was set on fire on Friday evening by thousands of people, especially belonging to the Muslim community, as they protested against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The protesters also thrashed personnel of the Railway Police Force that was at the Beldanga railway station complex.
Jihadists rampaged Beldanga @RailMinIndia station in Murshidabad, one of three districts in WB where Muslims are officially majority. I wonder why do we have @ErRpf, except for making extortion from small vendors, when such incidents go uncontrolled. pic.twitter.com/UiouRfMBba
— Prasun Maitra(প্রসূন মৈত্র) (@prasunmaitra) December 13, 2019
According to a report by Indrojit Kundu, the Associate Editor of India Today, mobs pelted stones on ambulances and vandalised the Beldanga railway station, which included flinging burning tires on the railway tracks.
Anti-CAB protesters vandalise Murshidabad’s Beldanga station pic.twitter.com/8cgXuThLMH
— Indrojit | ইন্দ্রজিৎ (@iindrojit) December 13, 2019
The Muslim mob also torched several vehicles and pelted stones at an ambulance. A cop was injured in the violent protests.
Anti-CAB protest turns violent in #Bengal. In Murshidabad stones pelted on an ambulance. Beldanga station vandalised by protesters. Muslim organisations had given protest call across the state after Friday prayers today pic.twitter.com/bdDyAIwEAc
— Indrojit | ইন্দ্রজিৎ (@iindrojit) December 13, 2019
Even cops got injured during the violent anti-CAB protest in West #Bengal‘s Murshidabad district today pic.twitter.com/43qSE7uktx
— Indrojit | ইন্দ্রজিৎ (@iindrojit) December 13, 2019
On Friday, the protestors also went on a rampage in West Bengal’s Howrah district. They resorted to extreme violence by blocking tracks at the Uluberia railway station.
They vandalised the complex and some trains by resorting to stone pelting, injuring a driver, officials said. The violence affected train services in Sealdah division of the Eastern Railway.
Howrah: Anti-CAB protesters pelt stones at running trains at the Uluberia station. Station also vandalised. Multiple long distance and local trains in the Howrah section stranded pic.twitter.com/CYthA2M1BN
— Indrojit | ইন্দ্রজিৎ (@iindrojit) December 13, 2019
The mob under the guise of anti-CAB protesters also pelted stones at running trains. Multiple long-distance and local trains in the Howrah section were stranded due to the violence.
Video shot from inside the drivers cabin at Uluberia. Anti-CAB protest in Bengal pic.twitter.com/DE5Y1YKrRf
— Indrojit | ইন্দ্রজিৎ (@iindrojit) December 13, 2019
In Kolkata, protesters also disrupted traffic for hours at Park Circus and also assembled in large numbers in the city to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Thousands of people from the Muslim community also blocked the National Highway 6 in the area.
Protests against CAB by jihadists at Park Circus, Kolkata. NH-6 i.e. Kolkata-Mumbai connector was also blocked at Uluberia in Howrah district. Stones were pelted at Coromandal Express that left Howrah station. pic.twitter.com/Kn1Jl6Qj7H
— Prasun Maitra(প্রসূন মৈত্র) (@prasunmaitra) December 13, 2019
In the East Midnapore district, BJP General Secretary Sayantan Basu’s car was attacked by protesters and the police had to rescue him.
#WestBengal: #BJP accuses #TMC of attacking its state general secretary Sayantan Basu’s convoy at #Bhupatinagar in #EastMedinipur district. Multiple vehicles vandalized. #TMC denies all allegations against them. #Kolkata pic.twitter.com/d24VBRGMWf
— Deepayan Sinha (@sdeepayan) December 13, 2019
The violent protests, especially by Muslim mobs are not just limited to West Bengal. Even the national capital Delhi was hit by anti-CAB stirs as students of Jamia Milia Islamia University resorted to violent protests against the exclusion of Muslim immigrants from the provisions of new Citizenship Act.
12 police personnel injured in the stone pelting by Jamia students. 2 cops in ICU. pic.twitter.com/OzKoknfwJ7
— Raj Shekhar Jha (@rajshekharTOI) December 13, 2019
Stone-pelting, lathicharge, tear-gas shelling and barricade charging were reported from the scene of the agitation as the student protest turned violent. At least three Delhi policemen were injured and 50 students were detained.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and by Lok Sabha on Monday. On Thursday, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 became an act of law after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the historic legislation.
The Citizenship Amendment act seeks to give Indian citizenship to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from three neighbouring Islamic countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh after facing religious persecution.
