Waqf Act 2025 Protests: From Governance to Anarchy

A Descent from Governance to Anarchy

The Protests Against Waqf Act 2025 have spiraled from a platform for democratic dissent into a volatile law-and-order crisis, vividly illustrating the shift "From Governance to Anarchy." In this fifth installment of our ongoing series on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, we delve into how political opportunism, selective outrage, and governance failures transformed a reformative legislation into a catalyst for unrest. The stark contrast between West Bengal’s descent into chaos and Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) success in maintaining order underscores the profound influence of political motives on protest narratives and their consequences.

The Waqf Act’s Reformative Vision

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, was introduced to bring transparency, accountability, and standardization to waqf land management, addressing decades of mismanagement, encroachments, and litigation, often involving non-Muslim stakeholders. Crafted after extensive consultations and public feedback, the Act aimed to modernize an outdated system. However, it quickly became a lightning rod for controversy, particularly in politically sensitive states like West Bengal. Much like the Shaheen Bagh protests during the 2019–2020 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) controversy, the Waqf Act’s intent was drowned out by a wave of orchestrated outrage, blurring the line between legitimate dissent and communal unrest.

West Bengal’s Slide into Violence

In West Bengal, protests against the Waqf Act erupted in districts like Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas, escalating into deadly violence on April 11–12, 2025. Arson, casualties, and community displacement marked these incidents, particularly in Murshidabad, where over 60% of the population is Muslim. TMC leaders, including the chief, publicly vowed to block the Act’s implementation, assuring the Muslim community of protection for their rights and properties. While intended to calm tensions, critics argue these statements were interpreted by some as tacit endorsement of aggressive protests, emboldening rioters. This mirrors past governance lapses, such as the 2024 Sandeshkhali unrest, where allegations of inaction against local leaders accused of misconduct fueled public anger. The TMC’s history of perceived appeasement, including alleged inaction during the 2020 CAA protests and communal tensions in Hooghly, amplified the 2025 unrest, evoking comparisons to the 1946 Noakhali riots.

Policing Failures in West Bengal

Weak law enforcement exacerbated the crisis in West Bengal. Despite early warning signs of unrest in Dhulian, authorities failed to reinforce security, allowing violence to erupt in Murshidabad and Alipurduar. Reports of police seeking shelter during the April 11–12 clashes highlight the collapse of law enforcement, prompting the Calcutta High Court to order paramilitary deployment. These failures echo the 2020 CAA protests in Howrah, where inadequate policing enabled riots, underscoring a recurring pattern of governance lapses under political pressure.

Uttar Pradesh’s Proactive Governance

In stark contrast, Uttar Pradesh, home to 38.5 million Muslims compared to West Bengal’s 24.6 million, effectively curbed unrest. On April 4, 2025, protests in Muzaffarnagar saw Muslims wearing black bands during prayers, signaling potential escalation. Authorities swiftly issued legal notices to over 300 individuals, requiring ₹15,000 bonds to deter incitement. This preemptive approach, rooted in UP’s history of managing communal sensitivities, neutralized tensions in districts like Sambhal (55–60% Muslim), which rivals Murshidabad’s demographic profile. UP’s success highlights the power of decisive governance in preventing anarchy, even in a state with a larger Muslim population than West Bengal.

The Shaheen Bagh Parallel

The Waqf Act protests bear striking similarities to the Shaheen Bagh movement, where political inaction fueled the 2019–2020 CAA protests, culminating in the 2020 Delhi riots. A senior Congress leader’s inflammatory speech at Ramlila Maidan in December 2019 sparked Shaheen Bagh, reframing a humanitarian law for persecuted refugees as “anti-Muslim.” Similarly, the Waqf Act’s reformative goals have been overshadowed by divisive rhetoric, with protests like Muzaffarnagar’s black band rallies and inflammatory sermons amplifying perceptions of persecution. The 2025 unrest in West Bengal, particularly in Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas, mirrors the CAA-era Park Circus sit-ins that escalated into Howrah’s 2020 violence.

Governance or Populism?

The Waqf Act’s journey from governance to anarchy reveals a chilling reality: when leaders prioritize vote banks over accountability, laws are no longer debated in legislatures but contested in the streets. UP’s proactive measures demonstrate that strong political will can maintain order, while West Bengal’s failures expose the dangers of enabling unrest through inaction or subtle encouragement. The Act, intended to regulate land, has become a mirror reflecting the volatile intersection of identity politics, selective outrage, and manufactured narratives.

Call to Action

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