Kolkata’s Calcutta High Court has stepped up pressure on the Murshidabad district administration to get compensation right for victims of this year’s brutal communal violence. On Thursday, a division bench led by Acting Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury ordered the district magistrate to submit a detailed report on how funds for the victims were distributed—who got the money and why.
The court also told lawyers for the petitioners to share a list of victims who still haven’t received compensation or rehabilitation support. They have two weeks to do this, and the district magistrate must check the names for accuracy. If anyone complains about missing payments, those details need to reach the magistrate within 14 days. The state government will also update the court on overall compensation efforts and rescue operations.
Judges probed deeper into the damage, asking about the state of homes in the affected areas. The state reported that it has dished out Rs 3.39 crore so far to 283 families hit by the Murshidabad violence. Each damaged house got Rs 1.2 lakh, with a total of 119 homes completely destroyed. But Chief Justice Sen pressed for proof that every rupee went to the right people, leading to the call for a full breakdown of the funds. The next hearing is set for November 20.
This isn’t the first time the court has cracked down. Just last week on September 17, the bench slammed the West Bengal government for dragging its feet on aid. They demanded a clear timeline for payouts and a solid plan to rebuild lives, warning that delays could fan more tensions in the sensitive Murshidabad region.
The violence erupted in April after protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act turned ugly in towns like Suti, Dhuliyan, Raghunathganj, and Samserganj. Rioters targeted Hindu-owned shops and houses, setting many ablaze, and even vandalized religious sites. The hardest hit was Jafrabad village in Samserganj, where father-son duo Hargobindo Das and Chandan Das were hacked to death by attackers.
Tensions boiled over starting April 8. The Calcutta High Court formed a special bench to handle the crisis and ordered Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployed on April 12 night. The judges noted back then that things wouldn’t have spiraled so badly if the state had brought in central forces sooner to curb the communal riots in India.
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