Kolkata: It has been reported that intelligence agencies have discovered evidence that the Pakistan ISI and extremist elements of Bangladesh are behind the recent Murshidabad riots in West Bengal. It has been reported here that the riots were planned in advance while protests against the Waqf Amendment Act were outside circus tents to send young men across the border.
State and Central intelligence agencies say the unrest was planned by outside forces, not spontaneous. They allegedly disguised themselves as students to exploit local divisions in the region. According to intelligence sources, these infiltrators are said to be mainly trained in terrorist camps in Bangladesh close to the India-Bangladesh border.
The spate of violence that spread across regions like Samserganj, Suti and Raghunathganj was similar to incidents in Bangladesh after the fall of the Hasina government, he said. Those involved in the same looting, killings and police attacks as seen in the capital, Dhaka, of Bangladesh. Meanwhile, intelligence sources have noted an increase in the movement of ISI agents in and around border areas, who are reportedly providing training to local recruits with the assistance of anti-national elements.
They said the infiltration strategy allegedly included radicalised teenagers, many still under 18 years old, from illegal or radical madrasas operated by extremist outfits such as ABT (Ansarullah Bangla Team). The study stated that they received warnings about the dangers of the Waqf Amendment Act for minority communities, which in turn encouraged them to express anger and hatred. They were snuck into West Bengal (from Bangladesh) before being posted to certain locations to create communal clashes.
They had also used madrasas to execute the plan to disturb peace in Murshidabad from Suti, a border area. Intelligence agencies have tracked around two dozen such members within such factions, and a majority are believed to be from close proximity to the border.
It is believed that the attackers engineered the violence as an assault on the police and military. The attackers attempted an encirclement to trap police forces from escaping, outnumbering the local forces on the ground. The attack in Raghunathganj followed a pattern of creating confusion, and this tactic was evident in the attack as well.
Local police officials said most of the attackers were not from the area. Local leaders attempted to curb the violence, but their efforts proved futile as the attackers were unfamiliar with the area. They arrived early to the protests and quickly escalated the situation.
Reports suggesting that Bangladeshi terrorist outfits including Jamaat-e-Islami and JMB (Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh) were involved have been submitted to the authorities by agencies including the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Detective Department. These reports all say that the unrest was not the result of movements from below but rather from outside influences, and these groups had a substantial part in advancing violence.
Intelligence reports explained that Muzaffarpur became a key area for protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, because certain organisations used the situation to create unrest and disrupt peace in the area, following earlier warnings about their growing activities there.
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