New Delhi, 25 April

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday said there is a 'complete breakdown' of administrative machinery and governance in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, calling the scale of trauma as 'severe and long-lasting' for the women in the area.

Three persons were killed in the violence that took place in Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian and Jangipur in Murshidabad district on 11 and 12 April during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

The observations were made by an inquiry committee led by NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar who visited the violence-affected regions of Murshidabad.

The NCW noted that many of the displaced women now face increased vulnerability and loss of dignity in the absence of state support.

The Committee said it 'observed a complete breakdown of administrative machinery and governance in Murshidabad district.'

'Despite prior intelligence and visible tensions in the area, the state government failed to take preventive or responsive action, and instead, appeared to act as a mute spectator. The violence appears to have been deliberate and premeditated...

'The porous border with Bangladesh, combined with poor administrative vigilance, has worsened the situation, and the presence of radical religious elements in the area cannot be ruled out,' the NCW said in a statement.

The West Bengal government, the NCW claimed, was 'a mute spectator,' allowing the situation to spiral into chaos.

Despite a peace appeal by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 19 April, she has not visited the affected areas or met with the victims, the statement said.

The Commission further alleged that state officials were non-cooperative during the inquiry, with senior officers failing to appear at hearings and local authorities offering no meaningful assistance.

In Malda district, relief camps are reportedly overwhelmed and under-resourced, the Commission said.

'The conditions in the relief camps, particularly in Malda district, are equally dire. Victims lack basic amenities such as food, clothing, drinking water, sanitation and medical support. The State Government has failed to provide even minimum relief, leaving already traumatised families in a continued state of distress and uncertainty,' the Commission said.