Muradabad emerged as the backdrop for Samajwadi Party heavyweight ST Hasan’s scathing attack on the handling of election violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad. Amid voting chaos involving renegade leader Humayun Kabir and TMC loyalists, Hasan warned against vigilante justice while exposing what he sees as systemic favoritism.
Kabir’s defection from Trinamool sparked confrontations, with locals protesting his past claims in a viral clip of doling out massive funds to the Muslim community. ‘He’s a known BJP agent,’ Hasan told IANS, validating public outrage but urging restraint to avoid brawls.
The core of Hasan’s ire was directed at law enforcement. Police, he charged, unleashed lathis solely on TMC activists, ignoring Kabir’s supporters entirely. ‘This one-sided action is unacceptable,’ he stated, noting how massive troop presence failed to secure polling stations, barring voters amid the melee.
Expanding his critique, Hasan accused BJP of orchestrating grassroots graft and muscle tactics. He slammed the Election Commission over its selective notice to Kharge, contrasting it with silence on Bengal’s provocative rhetoric. BJP’s narrative, per Hasan, fixates on religious polarization—exemplified by Anurag Thakur’s clips and Assam’s temple-mosque controversies—sidestepping pressing concerns like economic distress and unemployment.
In Assam, Sarma’s administration targets religious sites, Hasan noted, rather than tackling民生 woes. His comments underscore a pattern of alleged institutional bias, fueling debates on fair play in India’s polarized polls. As tensions simmer, demands grow for equitable policing and unbiased oversight.
