Kolkata, Apr 13 (PTI) Ruling TMC MLA Humayun Kabir on Sunday condemned the violent protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district where three people have died, and asserted that the attacks are against the spirit of Islam.

Stressing the need for strong action against the perpetrators of violence, the legislator of Bharatpur in the Muslim-majority Murshidabad district, also said that every citizen, irrespective of his or her religious beliefs, has the right to live peacefully without any threat and intimidation.

At least three people, including a man and his son, were killed, and several others injured after protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent in Suti and Samserganj blocks of Murshidabad district. Hundreds of people also started to flee from those areas since the violence began on Friday.

“This is not acceptable in our country. Every citizen, irrespective of his religious beliefs, has the right to live peacefully without any threat or intimidation. The attacks are condemnable and against the spirit of Islam,” said Kabir.

“The administration should track and flush out all the vandals and take strict action. Peace must return,” he said.

He added the MLAs and MPs of the ruling party should stand by the victims of the violence at this hour and work towards ensuring peace so that those forced to leave their homes for no fault on their part can return.

Kabir said on Saturday that police should have been more proactive in the initial phase to prevent the violence.

The MLA, who has publicly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Act and hinted at initiating legal steps against it, had also said that the violence was not necessarily driven by ideological opposition to the legislation.

“Those vandalising and attacking people were basically thugs, rather than individuals genuinely opposed to the Act recently passed in Parliament,” he claimed.

Several vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire, shops and houses were vandalised, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked as violence rocked the district on Friday, they said.

Prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been imposed in the violence-hit areas, and the internet has been suspended. BSF personnel have been deployed in strife-hit Suti, Dhuliyan and Samserganj areas of Murshidabad.

The police arrested 150 people till Saturday night in connection with the violence. PTI SUS NN