Kolkata: West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari praised the judiciary’s efforts on Friday morning for forming a committee to rehabilitate and compensate the victims of the violence amid the tense situation in some districts of West Bengal following the passage of the Waqf Amendment Act.

In order to rehabilitate and recompense the victims, he said, a committee including representatives from the West Bengal Human Rights Commission and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will be established.

“I am appreciative of the Temple of Justice’s dedication to preserving innocent lives in the state. The Hon’ble Court’s primary humanitarian concern is commendable, and as a result of judicial intervention, a committee comprising a member secretary of the State Legal Services Authority, a representative from the National Human Rights Commission, and a representative from the West Bengal Human Rights Commission was established to provide rehabilitation and compensation to riot victims,” Adhikari wrote on X.

According to the court decision that Adhikari uploaded, “The State must therefore devise a plan for their rehabilitation and restoration, which includes building homes, huts, and/or stores that have been damaged due to such violence and arson.” The individual who has lost their source of income must get fair compensation.

In such cases, he also applauded the court’s views that upheld the Union Government’s authority to send in Central Forces and direct an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

“I also wholeheartedly welcome the observation of the Hon’ble Court regarding full discretion of the Union Government regarding deployment of Central Forces as well as the observation regarding the Union Government being already empowered to direct an NIA probe,” Adhikari said.

Adhikari went on to make fun of the West Bengal administration, saying, “The state government was also expected to rise above political considerations and instead concentrate on saving lives, but alas, the same remains a distant dream.”

Adhikari petitioned the Calcutta High Court on Thursday, requesting that the NIA be tasked with looking into the recent violence in the district of Murshidabad.

Adhikari’s plea asked the national agency to step in, citing provisions under Section 6 of the NIA Act. He said that there was a major national security danger from the event, which implicated individuals from Bangladesh.

In response to allegations of widespread violence, the Calcutta High Court had already ordered the deployment of central soldiers in Murshidabad.