Tensions escalated in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Friday as a fresh wave of protests against the Waqf law turned violent, leading to large-scale vandalism, arson, and attacks on residential areas. The unrest erupted just days after similar violence rocked the district earlier in the week.

CCTV footage from one of the affected areas showed a man entering a house and smashing motorcycles with bricks and utensils. A woman whose house was attacked said a mob stormed into her residence, ransacked furniture, and damaged two-wheelers parked downstairs. “They couldn’t reach the upper floor as it was locked, but they vandalized what was outside,” she said.

The renewed violence came as Murshidabad was recovering from earlier riots that had led to the imposition of prohibitory orders. Friday’s violence was primarily reported from Suti and Samsherganj areas in the Jangipur subdivision.

Protest after Friday prayers turns chaotic

Following Friday prayers, protestors marched through the streets, and soon the demonstrations turned chaotic. Visuals from the scene showed vehicles in flames and thick smoke rising from the roads. Protesters clashed with police, hurled crude bombs, and set multiple vehicles, including an ambulance, on fire.

The ambulance driver was reportedly assaulted before the vehicle was torched. Several shops and homes, particularly those belonging to Hindu families, were vandalized in the minority-dominated district. A police officer stated that some personnel had to take refuge in a mosque to escape the violence.

Transport hit, security heightened

Train services were disrupted, particularly along the New Farakka-Azimganj section of Eastern Railway, as protestors blocked tracks. National Highway-12 was also obstructed by demonstrators.

In response, security has been stepped up across Murshidabad. Large contingents of police and the Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed in sensitive pockets to prevent further escalation.

After a chaotic Friday marked by storms and destruction, residents of Delhi are likely to experience some respite today, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting light rain and gusty winds. However, this relief will be short-lived, as heatwave conditions are expected to return to the national capital by April 16.

On Friday, a sudden dust storm swept across Delhi, bringing down trees, damaging property, and causing widespread disruption. One fatality was reported when a wall at an under-construction site collapsed. The strong winds and poor visibility also affected flight operations at Delhi Airport, leading to delays and diversions.

According to IMD data, Delhi’s Safdarjung Observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 35.8°C and a minimum of 22.8°C. Saturday’s forecast includes partly cloudy skies, very light rainfall or thunderstorms, and surface winds reaching 20–30 kmph, with gusts touching 40 kmph.

While today’s milder weather offers a breather from the heat, the IMD has warned that this won’t last. Clear skies are expected to return by Sunday, followed by a rise in temperatures. The department has cautioned that heatwave conditions may grip the region by April 16.

Thunderstorms across India, east and northeast on high alert

Beyond Delhi, several states are dealing with unstable weather. Strong winds, thunderstorms, and lightning have been predicted in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand. Gusty winds reaching up to 50 kmph may affect parts of West Madhya Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, and northeastern states like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Nagaland.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh are also under watch for lightning activity, while Rajasthan could witness more duststorms.

Bihar storm toll reaches 61; relief announced

Bihar has been the worst affected by recent extreme weather events. As of Friday, the death toll reached 61, including 22 from lightning strikes and 39 from hailstorms and related incidents. Nalanda reported the highest number of deaths at 23, followed by Bhojpur with six fatalities.

In response, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹4 lakh for the families of each deceased victim.

India’s widely used Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system faced a major disruption on Saturday morning, causing inconvenience to users nationwide. Prominent apps such as PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm were affected, preventing users from conducting essential digital transactions.

The outage hit early in the day, leaving thousands of users unable to send or receive money. As UPI has become an integral part of digital payments for individuals and businesses, the disruption severely impacted daily financial activities across the country.

According to outage tracking platform DownDetector, user complaints surged with around 1,168 reports of UPI service issues logged by noon. Google Pay topped the chart with 96 reported issues, followed by Paytm with 23 complaints. Users of PhonePe also expressed difficulty in making payments and accessing services.

Users express frustration

Social media platforms and tracking forums were flooded with posts as users voiced frustration over failed transactions. For many small businesses and daily wage earners, the temporary breakdown hampered routine operations and led to delays in payments.

While the cause of the technical glitch remains unclear, authorities and service providers are expected to release statements addressing the problem and outlining restoration efforts.