Bengal BJP seeks governors’ intervention after post-poll violence reports
In most of the alleged incidents, it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers who said that they were targeted and their houses and shops ransacked and looted by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers
Kolkata: Incidents of post-poll violence poured in from several pockets of West Bengal, including Asansol, Howrah, Bhangar, Ghatal, Konnanar, Basirhat, Jhargram and Kolkata.
In most of the alleged incidents, it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers who said that they were targeted and their houses and shops ransacked and looted by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers.
Videos shared on social media platforms showed BJP offices set on fire in some areas.
Following the incidents, the BJP state unit has sought the intervention of Governor CV Ananda Bose and has urged him to visit some of the violence-torn areas.
Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, wrote to Bose requesting him to visit the trouble-torn areas, citing at least 20 such alleged incidents.
“Around 10,000 people are homeless already owing to such state-sponsored reign of terror and living out of fear in various safe houses arranged by the BJP,” the letter stated.
State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar warned of retaliation if the alleged attacks continue.
“BJP will not sit idle. There will be retaliation. Following this, if there are any law-and-order problems, then BJP shouldn’t be blamed. The TMC has won 29 seats. I congratulate the chief minister. But I would also like to say with great power comes great responsibility. The winds don’t need much time to change,” Sukanta Majumdar, BJP state president, told media persons in Kolkata.\
Even as the Model Code of Conduct, which came into force on March 16 after the poll dates were announced, was lifted on Thursday, a poll panel official said that around 400 companies of central forces would stay back in West Bengal till June 19 to tackle incidents of post-poll violence.
In some places, such as Bantra in Howrah, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers’ ship was attacked and looted. At Bhangar near Kolkata, clashes broke out between the workers of the Indian Secular Front and TMC. At Konnagar in Hooghly, a TMC worker allegedly was attacked.
“People of West Bengal have rejected the BJP and its leaders. The more they make such statements, the more alienated they will get. Let Majumdar not talk about winds changing. They had zero vote-share a few years back and will soon get back there. He won by just 10,000 votes and that too because of EVM glitches,” Arup Chakraborty, TMC leader, told the media.
Of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, the TMC bagged 29 seats, increasing its tally from 22 in 2019, while the BJP’s seat count dropped from 18 to 12.
A senior official of Raj Bhavan in Kolkata said that Bose had launched a portal named ‘Jan Manch’ on June 3, a day before the results were declared, through which victims of post-poll violence may contact the Governor.
“A rapid response team has also been set up to offer immediate help to victims. Accommodation and transport will also be provided to those in need and those who opt to stay in Raj Bhavan,” said the official.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta high court on Thursday directed victims and witnesses of post-poll violence to directly lodge their complaints with the director general of police (DGP), and the DGP has been directed to file a report after ten days on the number of such complaints received and steps taken by the police.
“A division bench of the Calcutta high court of Justice Kaushik Chanda and Justice Apurba Sinha Ray directed that witnesses and victims of post-poll violence can lodge their complaints on the mail id of the DGP. The DGP will forward these complaints to the respective police stations and FIR [first information report] will be lodged,” said Susmita Saha, advocate.
