Kolkata, Apr 12 (PTI) Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir on Saturday said police should have been more proactive at the initial phase to prevent the violence in parts of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, which left three people dead and several injured.

Speaking to reporters, the Bharatpur MLA in Murshidabad district said, “Police could have been more strict in containing the situation at the outset and come down heavily on those having blocked the national highway for hours. Anyway, there is no point in ruminating as police later on carried out a major clampdown and put behind bars all those vandals.” Commending police for arresting those involved in Friday’s and Saturday’s violence in Suti, Samserganj and Jangipur, Kabir questioned why the authorities failed to act decisively when the national highway was blocked and arson and vandalism began.

About the deployment of the Border Security Force (BSF) in the riot-hit pockets, he asked, “Isn’t our police able to contain the violence confined within three-four police stations only? “Police should have taken the initiative to call peace meetings involving prominent religious leaders, local citizens and representatives of political parties,” he said.

Kabir, who has publicly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Act and hinted at initiating legal steps against it, however, clarified that the recent 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.

Asked about possible external influences, Kabir did not rule out the involvement of radical groups. “If there are such elements, they need to be identified. I am sure our security forces will find that out,” he said.

Kabir had courted controversy in the past for his remarks on sensitive issues and has been censured by the TMC leadership on multiple occasions. PTI SUS MNB