Assam cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika on Saturday claimed that peace prevailed in the state “in contrast” to Bengal, which is witnessing “unrest and violence” over the Waqf Amendment Act.

Taking a dig at the Mamata Banerjee-led government in a post on X on Saturday evening, Hazarika wrote: “In Assam, with a 40% Muslim population, peace prevailed over provocation on the #WaqfAmendmentBill. Thanks to strong governance under HCM Dr @himantabiswaDangoriya and a united society that saw through the false narrative. In contrast, West Bengal witnessed unrest and violence. Leadership matters.”

His post included a graphic titled — A Tale of Two Neighbours: Assam beats West Bengal in law and order management — drawing a direct comparison between the two states. The graphic highlighted that despite Assam’s 40 per cent Muslim population, there were no protests or violence over the Waqf Act, citing “strict” enforcement of law and order and “community spirit in understanding the nefarious intent of Waqf”.

In contrast, it claimed that in Bengal, with a 35 per cent Muslim population, there had been “large-scale violence, arson, and destruction of public property” over the Act, along with alleged “state support to violence by Muslims”.

Hazarika’s post came amid renewed waqf-related violence in Bengal’s Murshidabad district, where two people were killed on Saturday.

The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on April 3 and the Rajya Sabha on April 4. The legislation was passed by Parliament last week and received presidential assent on April 5. Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has since declared that the Act would not be implemented in the state.

Hazarika’s remarks aligned with a similar statement made by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday night, although Sarma did not mention Bengal in his comments.

“Despite having nearly 40% Muslim population, Assam has remained peaceful today (Friday), except isolated protests in three places involving not more than 150 participants each against the Waqf Amendment Act. My compliments to @AssamPolice for their extensivegroundwork that helped maintain calm and order. People across Assam—irrespective of caste, creed, community or religion—are united in spirit and eagerly preparing to welcome our beloved Bohag Bihu with joy and harmony,” Sarma posted on X.

Responding to Sarma’s comments, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) general secretary Rafiqul Islam said Muslims were unhappy with the amended Waqf Act, viewing it as a BJP ploy to seize waqf property.

The All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU) staged a protest in Guwahati on April 9 against the Waqf Act. Over 75 protesters heading to the city from various parts of the state were detained by police and later released. The AAMSU has announced plans to move the Supreme Court against the legislation.

AAMSU president Rezaul Karim Sarkar said Muslims were “unhappy and angry” over the new law. “There have been peaceful democratic protests from Dhubri to Sadiya. Each Muslim is unhappy. We are not launching any forceful protests now because there is Bihu and panchayat polls,” he said.

He alleged that the government was using police pressure to suppress dissent. “If everything is calm, then why do the police visit the homes of our leaders and make them sign undertakings not to protest over the issue? This reflects our people’s mood and the fear of the authorities,” Sarkar said.

Tripura unrest

At least 18 cops, including an SDPO, were injured as a protest rally demanding the rollback of the Waqf Act turned violent in Tripura’s Unakoti district on Saturday, police said. Eight protesters were arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack onthe police.