As Bengal's Murshidabad has turned into a battlefield due to violence over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, local Trinamool Congress MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan has received flak for an Instagram post in which he is seen relaxing and enjoying a cup of tea.

Even though most of the violence-hit areas are not part of Pathan's constituency, they are located nearby, and the timing of the ex-cricketer's post has raised eyebrows and triggered outrage on social media.   

Pathan shared three pictures on Instagram two days back with a caption reading: "Easy afternoons, good chai, and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment."

Shortly after, social media users started slamming him for the post at a time when Murshidabad was tense due to the violence. One user asked, "Do you have any shame?"

The BJP hit out at the Pathan and accused the Mamata Banerjee government of encouraging state-protected violence.

"Bengal is burning. HC has said it can't keep eyes closed and deployed central forces. Mamata Banerjee is encouraging such state protected violence as Police stays silent! Meanwhile Yusuf Pathan - MP sips tea and soaks in the moment as Hindus get slaughtered. This is TMC," BJP's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has said in a post on X.

Pathan has not reacted to the criticism so far.

Supporters of Left parties, too, have slammed Yusuf Pathan over his post.

Three people have been killed in the violence in Murshidabad after protests against the Waqf Amendment Act turned violent.

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the deployment of central paramilitary forces in Murshidabad to restore order following large-scale communal violence across several districts in West Bengal over the Waqf Amendment Act.

The decision came during a special hearing held on a court holiday, after Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari moved a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent central intervention.