Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, June 6

Despite visits by a Home Ministry team and statutory bodies like the National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Women and National Commission for Scheduled Castes, there is no let up in post-poll violence in West Bengal.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, highlighting the issue, said he had summoned the Chief Secretary on Monday to learn about the steps being taken by the administration to contain this “retributive violence”.

The Governor posted two tweets on Sunday to express his concern about the subject. In one tweet, Dhankhar wrote, “Post-poll violence continues in unabated fury that will put humanity to shame.” He wrote that police inaction was emboldening the perpetrators of violence and added, “All this to punish and discipline opponents for daring to vote in democracy.”

In another tweet posted later in the morning, Dhankhar described the law and order situation in the state as “extremely alarming” with numerous instances of killings and rapes.

Dhankhar said West Bengal was in the grip of unprecedented post-poll retributive violence at an unimaginable scale with lakhs of people being displaced and property worth hundreds of crores vandalised.

On the state police, the Governor said they were “an extension of ruling dispensation to let loose vindictiveness on political opponents”.

Condemning alleged incidents of social boycott and denial of benefits to people who did not vote for the TMC, he said they were being made to pay extortion fees for living in their own house or running their own business.

“There is a state of anarchy and lawlessness. All elements of police state are amply reflected. Democratic values are openly shredded and trampled by ruling party ‘harmads’. People are in mortal fear of police and that in turn is at the feet of ruling party rogue elements,” the Governor wrote on his official Twitter handle.

Raju Bista, BJP MP from Darjeeling and party spokesperson, appealed to the President for “urgent intervention” to stop the violence going on in the state since the announcement of the Assembly poll results on May 2.

In a tweet, Bista posted videos of men with hands and legs tied up with bamboo poles being subjected to brutal beatings with a stick. On May 21, the BJP published a list containing names of 31 supporters, including two women, allegedly killed in post-poll violence in the state since May 2.

‘Dhankhar’s office is his extended family’

Addressing Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as “Uncle ji”, TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged that his family members and other acquaintances have been appointed as officers on special duty (OSDs) in Raj Bhawan. She said, “We all have the democratic right to ask him questions. He keeps asking questions to the state government. He has brought his entire village and clan to Raj Bhawan.” PTI