Kolkata, May 5 (PTI) The CPI(M) on Monday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for visiting Murshidabad weeks after it was rocked by violent protests over the Waqf Act, and reiterated the party's demand for a judicial probe into the communal strife.

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim claimed that Banerjee was "skirting the issue by terming the rioters as mere criminals".

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"The chief minister has found time to visit Murshidabad after so many days," he said at a press conference here.

Violence erupted in Murshidabad's Dhuliyan, Samserganj and some other places of the district during the anti-Waqf Amendment Act protests in the second week of April, claiming the lives of three persons.

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The chief minister is currently in Murshidabad on a two-day visit.

Salim also reiterated the demand for a judicial probe into the communal violence in Murshidabad.

The CPI(M) leader accused the ruling TMC and the BJP of playing divisive politics over the Murshidabad issue.

"A tug of war is on between the two parties over getting control of the family of Haragobinda Das and Chandan Das, the father and son who were killed during the Murshidabad violence," he claimed.

"Attempts are underway to create religious divide for political gains in Bengal, where people lived in peace for centuries together," Salim said.

He also alleged that people from Bengal, particularly Malda and Murshidabad districts, were being subjected to harassment in a few other states.

Attacking the BJP, Salim said the saffron party was trying to divide the people of the country over the Pahalgam terror attack issue with an eye on the 2026 assembly elections in West Bengal.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)