West Bengal post-poll violence: SC intervention sought

Two petitions were Tuesday filed in the Supreme Court on the alleged violence by TMC workers in West Bengal, seeking the court’s intervention in the issue.

The pleas were filed by BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia and NGO Indic Collective Trust.
While Bhatia, a Senior Advocate, sought a CBI probe into “instances of rampant violence, murders and rapes that have been carried out” by alleged TMC cadre “across the state of West Bengal”, the trust urged the court to direct the Centre “to deploy central protection forces, including armed forces, for the restoration of law and order” and for a declaration that the constitutional machinery has broken down so that the President can take appropriate action.

The BJP leader’s application, filed in a pending petition regarding alleged killings of some BJP activists in the state in the past, referred to the recent “murder” of Belaghata resident Avijit Sarkar, who, he pointed out, had “in a video uploaded on Facebook moments before his death, highlighted how the TMC workers not only ransacked his house and NGO, but also mercilessly killed… puppies”.

Bhatia claimed “no FIRs have been registered against any alleged party worker for their acts of crime” and added that “it is clear that TMC has been exercising undue influence over the police and other enforcement agencies”.

He also requested the court to seek a “detailed status report qua the FIRs registered, arrests made and steps taken…against perpetrators of the crimes mentioned in” his application.

The Trust in its plea filed through Advocates J Sai Deepak and Suvidutt M S referred to “widespread violence and disruption of law and order that has erupted in the aftermath of the assembly election” and contended that the state machinery had failed in protecting the life and liberty of its citizens.

“The election related violence in the State began after the declaration of election results on May 2, 2021. Members and supporters of the opposing political parties have been brutally murdered, with their houses and personal property being destroyed. There have been instances of heinous crimes including bombing of localities, murders, violations against the modesty of women, riotous looting, kidnapping, arson and destruction of public property”, it said.

The trust’s petition added: “…reports have emerged citing instances of gang rape and physical assault against women who support the opposing parties in the State.”

It further said: “Thanks to the deliberate inaction of the State Government, miscreants have turned the State into a complete lawless zone, which demonstrates this was an organized and premeditated crime against a targeted group of people who exercised their political choice against the ruling party…The State administration and the police authorities in the State have failed and/or neglected to clamp down on the unruly elements, thereby leading to institutionalized violence and destruction of the democratic fabric of the State”.

The plea added that “the current state of affairs in West Bengal is so dangerous and wrought with internal disturbance that urgent intervention by this Hon’ble Court and deployment of central forces in the State is the need of the hour.”