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Bangladesh Denies Link to West Bengal Violence, Urges Protection for Minorities
Bangladesh on Thursday denied any connection to the recent violence that broke out in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, rejecting what it described as attempts to implicate the country in the unrest. Speaking to the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the interim government “strongly protested” against India’s efforts to associate Bangladesh with the incident.
“We strongly refute any attempts to implicate Bangladesh in the communal violence in Murshidabad,” he said. “We urge the Government of India and West Bengal to take all steps to fully protect the minority Muslim population.”
The violence, which began during protests against the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, rapidly escalated across several districts including Murshidabad, Malda, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly. Incidents of arson, stone-pelting, and road blockades were reported in affected areas.
In response to the violence, the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of central paramilitary forces in Murshidabad. It also directed the formation of a special committee to assist in the rehabilitation of victims and imposed a temporary ban on political leaders making provocative public statements.
Amid rising tensions, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the central government, accusing it of undermining coordination between state and central security agencies. “Earlier, areas within 15 kilometres of the border were under the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF). Now, that has been extended to 50 kilometres by the Union Home Minister,” Banerjee stated.
She went on to allege that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) no longer shared essential information with state authorities. “Previously, we used to have access to data about people coming into the state from other countries and the purpose of their visit. But now, the MHA under the current Union Home Minister doesn’t share such data or even allow our police to gather it.”
