Three killed in India as protests turn violent over land law seen as anti-Muslim
On Monday, tensions escalated in the Bhangar area of Kolkata as protesters clashed with police after authorities halted a planned rally. Demonstrators blocked a major highway during the unrest.
The protests were sparked by a recently passed law in the Indian parliament that significantly alters the governance of land historically reserved for exclusive Muslim use. Critics argue the move could further strain relations between the government and the country’s Muslim minority.
Muslim organizations and opposition parties claim the law is part of a broader pattern under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership that marginalizes Muslims.
Meanwhile, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal of pandering to Muslim communities for electoral gain—a claim the Trinamool denies, accusing the BJP of fueling religious division.