We are now refugees in our own country." We might not come back.

Murshidabad Violence: Three people have already died as a result of the violence surrounding the new Waqf law. Hargobindo Das, 72, and Chandan Das, 40, were slain after a crowd dragged them from their home.Murshidabad Violence Update: After communal violence erupted in West Bengal's Murshidabad last week, Saptami Mondol, 24, sat on a tarpaulin sheet in a high school classroom in Parlalpur with her eight-day-old infant on her lap. The school has since been turned into a shelter.Saptami, one of the 400 men, women, and children seeking safety at the school after escaping their houses, is not sure if she will ever make it back to her village, which is 60 kilometers away by road or across the Ganga.Three people have already died as a result of the violence surrounding the new Waqf law, including Hargobindo Das (72), a father, and Chandan Das (40), who were killed after being dragged from their home by a crowd.Those who left the troubled areas remain unsure, despite the fact that authorities say the situation is normalizing and that more than 200 arrests have been made.

The mob threw stones at our house and set fire to our neighbor's on Friday. When the mob dispersed in the evening, my mom and I fled inside, hiding. By then, the BSF had begun patrolling. All we have is what we are wearing. With the assistance of the BSF, we managed to reach the ghat (makeshift jetty)," said Saptami, who resides in Dhulian and whose husband is a mason in Kolkata.We boarded a boat and crossed the river in the darkness. A family in this settlement on the opposite side provided us with clothing and overnight lodging. We arrived at this school the following day," recalled Saptami's mother, Maheshwari Mondol.While we were crossing the river, my infant got a fever. Others now control us," Saptami remarked. "We are now refugees in our own country." What if they assault us once more? We might never be able to return.