Three people lost their lives in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Friday as violent clashes erupted during protests against the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025. The situation has sparked tension across several parts of the state, including Malda, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly.

According to police reports, 118 individuals have been arrested in connection with the violence. The protests, primarily in Muslim-majority areas like Murshidabad and Jangipur, escalated into large-scale confrontations involving arson, stone pelting, and road blockades. Police vehicles were set ablaze, and security forces were targeted with stones.

In response to the unrest, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made it clear that her government does not support the amended law. In a post on X, she stated, “We have made our position clear on this matter — we do not support this law. This law will not be implemented in our state. So what is the riot about?”

Emphasizing the need for calm, Banerjee appealed for peace and cautioned against using religion for political ends. “Remember, we did not make the law that many are agitating against. The law was made by the central government. So the answer you want should be sought from the central government,” she said.

Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar issued a warning to protestors, stating that the state police would not allow any disruption of law and order under the guise of protests.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar criticized the Trinamool-led administration, urging it to enforce law and order in Murshidabad. He alleged that the violence was a result of the government’s appeasement politics and claimed it was possibly a distraction from the recent Supreme Court verdict that invalidated the jobs of 26,000 school teachers.

In a significant crackdown on wildlife smuggling, the Special Task Force (STF) and Dibrugarh district police in Assam seized 11 rare tokay gecko lizards and arrested three individuals who were allegedly attempting to sell the endangered reptiles for ₹60 lakh each.

The accused have been identified as Debashis Dohutia (34), Manash Dohutia (28), and Dipankar Gharphalia (40). According to the police, the trio had sourced the geckos from Arunachal Pradesh and brought them to Dibrugarh, intending to sell them in the illegal wildlife market.

The operation was conducted following a tip-off, leading the STF team to set up a trap at Mohanbari area in Dibrugarh. With assistance from local police and operational support from the Wildlife Justice Commission’s South Asia office, the authorities tracked the suspects to a roadside eatery—Sun Feast Dhaba—located at Mohanbari Tiniali.

As per the official statement, two of the suspects arrived in a white car (registration number AS-23W-5506) and one on a motorcycle (registration AS-06AF-0276). The STF team waited until one of the suspects retrieved a red backpack from the car and entered the dhaba. Acting swiftly, the team apprehended all three individuals and recovered the bag containing the 11 tokay geckos.

These lizards, known for their high value in the Southeast Asian grey market, are listed as highly endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The illegal trade of such species can attract up to seven years of rigorous imprisonment upon conviction.

Tokay geckos are native to limited pockets of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in India, making their capture and sale a matter of grave concern for wildlife conservationists.

In a historic move, Georgia has become the first US state to introduce a bill addressing Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry, aiming to formally recognize and counter hate crimes targeting the Hindu community.

The proposed Senate Bill 375, introduced in the Georgia Senate, aims to amend the state’s penal code to define Hinduphobia as a “set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviours towards Hinduism.”

The bill, if passed, would also direct state and local law enforcement to factor in Hinduphobia while implementing anti-discrimination and hate crime laws.

The legislation has bipartisan support, with Republican Senators Shawn Still and Clint Dixon, and Democratic Senators Jason Esteves and Emanuel D. Jones sponsoring the proposal.

Indian-American community welcomes move

Indian-origin advocacy group Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) praised the development, calling it a milestone for the Hindu community in the US. “We are proud to work closely with Senator Shawn Still on this important bill,” CoHNA said, while thanking all supporting lawmakers for “recognizing the needs of the Hindu community in Georgia and the United States.”

The bill is especially significant for the Indian-American population, many of whom identify as Hindu. Georgia alone is home to over 40,000 Hindus, primarily in the Atlanta metropolitan area, while the broader Hindu population in the US is about 2.5 million, according to a Pew Research Center study.

This legislative step builds on Georgia’s 2023 resolution that officially condemned Hinduphobia and acknowledged Hinduism as one of the world’s oldest religions. The resolution, led by Republican Representatives Lauren McDonald and Todd Jones, also celebrated Hindu contributions to American society and condemned hate speech and violence against Hindus.

That resolution was especially relevant to Forsyth County, which has one of the largest Indian-American and Hindu communities in the state.