At least 16 police officers were injured after a protest against the Waqf Act in Bhangar town, in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas, turned violent on Monday, The Hindu reported.

A mob attacked police personnel, torched five police motorcycles and vandalised a prison van in the Sonepur bazaar area. Following this, Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed to control the situation, The Indian Express reported.

The police said they resorted to lathi charge after around 2,000 protestors held a four-hour dharna and blocked the Basanti highway. The demonstrators also threw stones at the security personnel.

The violence broke out after the police stopped protesters from travelling along the Basanti highway to a protest rally in Kolkata led by Indian Secular Front leader and MLA Nawshad Siddique.

“They were angry as police had in the morning barricaded a three-way junction at Bhojerhat in Bhangar with guard rails, frustrating their plan to join the rally in Sealdah,” an unidentified police officer was quoted as saying by The Times of India. “A scuffle broke out between cops and ISF workers, who tried to break the guard rails.”

Siddiqui eventually held his rally at Kolkata’s Ramlila Maidan instead of Esplanade, The Indian Express reported.

Earlier on Monday, more than 200 persons were arrested in connection with violent protests against the Waqf Act in the state’s Murshidabad district that left three dead

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.

The recent changes to the law curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them.

The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill brought changes to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act, including allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function.

The bill was cleared by Parliament on April 4. It received presidential assent on April 5 and took effect on April 8.

On the same day that the Act came into effect, a mob clashed with the police, threw stones and set the vehicles of security forces on fire in Murshidabad’s Jangipur during protests against it. Several police personnel were reportedly injured in the clashes.

People have right to protest, not violence: CM

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said while everybody has the right to protest peacefully, they should not take the law into their own hands, PTI reported.

She was talking in the backdrop of violence in various parts of the state against the Waqf Act.

“Everybody has the democratic right to stage a peaceful protest with permission,” she was quoted as saying by the news agency. I will request people not to take the law into their own hands. To protect the law, we have custodians and do not need any demon.”

Further she urged people not to misuse religion for divisive agendas. “When we are born and we die alone, why these riots,” she asked.