New anti-crime laws to be enforced in Bengal from July 13: CM Suvendu Adhikari

THe young anti-crime jurisprudence passed by the due west Bengal legislative gathering testament be enforced from July 13, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Friday.“The Governor has given his assent to the bill related to the control of anti-social activities. The law will be enforced across the state from Monday,” Adhikari told reporters in Murshidabad district.In June this year, the West Bengal assembly passed two stringent anti-crime Bills — The West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-social Activities Bill, 2026 and The West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026.While the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-social Activities Bill, 2026, has provisions for preventive detention for up to 12 months without trial, the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026, allows confiscation of an offender’s property for auction to compensate for losses.They are modelled on laws enforced in some BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Bihar to curb organised crime, extortion and public disorder and have been drafted specifically in view of incidents like the 2025 Beldanga riots, which began during protests by Muslims against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.The chief minister also said that the police and district administrations have been directed to ensure that Hindu refugees, who came to India after crossing the Indo-Bangla border and are presently languishing in jails, are released.“There are Hindu refugees in the prisons. I have directed the district magistrate and the police to discuss the matter with the public prosecutor and get them released,” he added.Police have also been directed to actively pursue cases related to crimes against women so that the accused persons are convicted.“We have directed the police to take stringent action against those involved in crimes against women, including human trafficking cases in border districts. There are many cases in which the lower courts have convicted the accused, but they have moved the higher court and the cases are pending. The district police and administration have been directed to pursue the cases with the state advocate general and additional advocate general so that the accused persons are convicted,” he added.The chief minister also directed the police to increase their coordination with the Border Security Force so that more illegal immigrants could be deported.“The police have been directed to show zero tolerance towards illegal immigrants. Only around 69 persons have been sent across the border (from Murshidabad). The number is very small compared to the several thousand such people living in the state. The police have been asked to increase their coordination with the BSF.The BSF requires around 363 acres of land in Murshidabad to install fencing along the international border. The state government has handed over around 338 acres.Erosion by the River Ganga is a major problem in Murshidabad and Malda districts. Every year, hundreds of acres of fertile land are gobbled up by the river, and thousands of people are forced to shift further inland from the riverbanks.“We have sent a ₹3,600 crore proposal to the Centre to tackle river erosion in Malda and Murshidabad. The state and the Centre will equally share the expense,” he said.“There have been massive irregularities in the government schemes in Murshidabad. Fake beneficiaries have been included using forged documents. At least 600 fake beneficiaries have been detected in the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme and another 3,500 fake beneficiaries have been identified as receiving minority scholarships, among other schemes,” he added.