Former cricket player Yusuf Pathan, an MP for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), posted a photo on Instagram in which he is seen sipping tea. When there were violent protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in Murshidabad, the BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla accused him of "sipping tea" in the midst of the mayhem and disorder. Mob violence, arson, and police shootings in various parts of the district resulted in at least three fatalities, and more than a dozen police officers were hurt at Samserganj, Suti, Dhuliyan, and Jangipur.
He posted on X, “Bengal is burning. HC has said it can’t keep eyes closed and deployed centra forces. Mamata Banerjee is encouraging such state protected violence as Police stays silent! Meanwhile Yusuf Pathan - MP sips tea and soaks in the moment as Hindus get slaughtered… This is TMC”
The Berhampur constituency, one of the three parliamentary constituencies in the Murshidabad district, is represented by Pathan. Abu Tahir Khan and Khalilur Rahman of the TMC represent the other two, Murshidabad and Jangipur, respectively.
Yusuf Pathan defeated his closest opponents by a margin of 85,022 votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Election Commission reports that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a five-time Congress MP, received 4,39,494 votes, whereas Pathan received 5,24,516. Dr. Nirmal Kumar Saha of the BJP received 3,71,885 votes.
150 people were arrested, and the internet was blocked:
Three people were killed amid violent protests against the Wakf (Amendment) Act in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, and twelve more people have been arrested in relation to the incident. No new violent incidents were reported from anywhere in the majority district, according to police on April 13. Security personnel are currently maintaining a close watch.
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A senior police officer told PTI, "The situation is peaceful in Suti, Dhuliyan, Shamsherganj, and Jangipur areas of the district. Raids continued through the night, and 12 more people were arrested. With this, 150 people have been arrested so far." He said internet services have been shut down in violence-hit areas.