The BJP on Sunday accused the Mamata Banerjee government of inaction and appeasement that allegedly led to violence and claimed three lives in Murshidabad, demanding the chief minister’s resignation.

Two BJP MPs from Bengal wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention, with one even urging the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, on the “disturbed areas”.

In his letter, Purulia MP Jyotirmoy Mahato drew a controversial comparison between the current situation in Murshidabad and the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, demanding that the Afspa be imposed.

“I must draw your attention to the haunting resemblance. The fear, isolation and targeted violence that (a certain community) in these districts are facing today echoes the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of 1990. The tragic silence of the administration, deliberate targeting of a religious community and propaganda-driven unrest are all too familiar,” Mahato wrote, urging Shah to take urgent action by applying the Afspa “in the affected areas to restore peace, prevent more violence and protect (a certain) community.”

Ranaghat MP Jagannath Sarkar, in his letter to Shah, called for a high-level investigation and monitoring team to be sent to Murshidabad.

Sarkar alleged that the Bengal government maintained “silence” while public life and property came under threat. “This inaction has only served to aggravate the situation,”
he wrote.

Sarkar further warned that unrest similar to Murshidabad was brewing in districts such as Hooghly, Nadia and Howrah, and requested central security forces be deployed wherever necessary.

In the afternoon, the BJP’s former state unit chiefs Dilip Ghosh and Rahul Sinha, current state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar and leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari walked together in a protest march from College Square to Rani Rashmoni Avenue in Calcutta.

Adhikari alleged that over 400 persons of a community had been forced to flee from Dhulian following violence linked to protests over the contentious waqf law. “People are fleeing Murshidabad to save their lives. This is a horrible situation,” he said, appealing to the majority community to stand united, regardless of political affiliation, and demanded a martyrs’ day in honour of the people killed in Murshidabad.

Adhikari directly accused Mamata of appeasing the minority community, claiming it emboldened radical elements to unleash terror, while the police failed to act out of fear. “Police have been made to watch the violence and not act,” he alleged, repeating Mamata must step down as chief minister.

TMC’s Kunal Ghosh alleged that the BJP had misled people. “We have appealed to the administration to conduct a proper probe into allegations about how the violence was incited,” he said.