West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Suvendu Adhikari announced on Friday that the newly enacted anti-crime laws will be brought into force across the state from July 13, 2026. He added that the state’s Governor has given the nod to landmark Bills aimed at ramping up law enforcement, as well as tackling organised crime, illegal immigration and disruption of public order across the state.

While addressing the media in Murshidabad on Friday, CM Adhikari said the legislation will come into force from Monday, marking a significant overhaul of the state’s legal framework for ensuring the safety of the commoners.

As per him, the governor has given assent to the Bill related to the control of anti-social activities.

2 new laws expected to tighten the noose on crime

Notably, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly recently passed two Bills; namely, the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-social Activities Bill, 2026, and the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Under the Public Safety Bill, authorities will be empowered to order preventive detention for up to 12 months without trial in specified cases, while the amended Public Order law shall pave the way for the government to confiscate the offenders’ properties as well as auction it to compensate victims or losses caused by criminal activities.

The legislation comes on the lines of laws implemented in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar to combat organised crime, extortion and grave public disorder. As per the West Bengal government, the Bills were drafted in the light of incidents, such as the Beldanga riots, which erupted during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

Focus to be laid on refugees, women’s safety and illegal immigration

The Chief Minister also directed the district administrations and police authorities to facilitate the release of Hindu refugees who entered India after crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border and are currently incarcerated.

He issued orders to the district magistrates and police officials to coordinate with public prosecutors to expedite the legal process for their release.

CM Adhikari further ordered cops to intensify probe into crimes against women, particularly human trafficking in border districts, and ensure that appeals filed by convicted persons are actively contested in higher courts with assistance from the Advocate General’s office.

Furthermore, he called for zero tolerance towards illegal immigration, directing police to rev up coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) to identify and deport illegal immigrants. According to him, only 69 people have been deported from Murshidabad so far, a figure he termed inadequate considering the scale of the issue.