BJP's Suvendu Adhikari Demands Arms For Locals In Bengal Amid Murshidabad Violence: Report

Suvendu Adhikari held a rally demanding village defence committees and licensed weapons for self-defence after violence in West Bengal.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

Source : PTI

Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, on Saturday, April 19, 2025, held a rally titled "Save Bengali Hindus" in response to the recent Murshidabad violence. During the rally, he demanded the formation of village defence committees and the provision of licensed weapons to local residents for their self-defence.

The violence that erupted on April 11 in Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas resulted in the deaths of three people and forced thousands to reportedly flee their homes. Local residents, alleging a well-orchestrated attack against one community, have called for the permanent deployment of BSF camps in the violence-hit districts.

According to India Today, Suvendu Adhikari said that the village defence committees should be formed. Moreover, the BJP leader also demanded that the local residents living near the Bangladesh border should be provided with licensed weapons for their own safety.”

He added as long as Mamata Banerjee and her police continue to handle matters in Bengal, Hindus will be forced to flee their homes. The Supreme Court and other constitutional institutions must take cognizance of this violence and take appropriate action, the BJP leader demanded.

Adhikari also alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government is preventing him from visiting Murshidabad and other violence-affected areas.

The BJP has launched an aggressive attack on the Mamata Banerjee government over the violence in Bengal triggered by opposition to the Central Waqf Act.

The CPI(M) on Saturday demanded a judicial probe in the riots that took place in Murshidabad and accused the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP of colluding to engineer the violence for political gains ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.Addressing a mega rally of CPI(M)'s frontal organisations at the Brigade Parade Grounds here, party state secretary and politburo member Mohammed Salim alleged that the two parties were engaged in competitive communalism to divert public attention from pressing issues such as unemployment, price rise, and corruption.

The CPI(M) has called for immediate action against those responsible and urged the people of West Bengal to unite against what it described as the dangerous politics of division.