News Analysis India

Tag: Post poll violence

  • EC asks Bengal chief secy to ensure no celebration over Bhawanipore bypoll results

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Election Commission on Sunday afternoon directed West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi to ensure that no celebrations take place over poll results amid fears of violence.

    In a letter, the EC said the state government must ensure that adequate steps are taken so that no post-poll violence happens.

    “No victory celebrations/ procession during/after the counting shall be allowed in the ongoing elections in West Bengal, for which counting is being taken place on October 3, 2021,” EC secretary Rakesh Kumar said in the letter.

    “All necessary actions must be taken to ensure the strict compliance of Commission’s direction where in all such activities have already been prohibited in view of pandemic. Further, state government must ensure that adequate steps are taken so that no post poll violence takes place,” he added.

    The EC asked Dwivedi to ensure strict compliance with the directions.

    The letter came as TMC workers across the state hit the streets to celebrate the massive lead Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received in the Bhabanipur by-election.

    The party’s candidates in Jangipur and Samserganj assembly were also ahead of their rivals, adding to the revelry.

    BJP’s Priyanka Tibrewal, Banerjee’s rival in the Bhabanipur seat, had on Saturday night written to the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal, urging him to give orders to the police to take preventive steps to avoid incidents of violence after the results are declared.

  • BJP will end culture of post-poll violence in West Bengal, says new-state party chief Sukanta Majumdar

    By ANI

    KOLKATA: Newly-appointed President of West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday assured that the party would end the culture of the post-poll violence in the state. He also assured justice to people killed in the violence that followed the Assembly polls.

    “Post-Poll violence was not a part of West Bengal’s culture, it has come from outside. We will get justice for the people killed in the post-poll violence. The BJP workers who were beaten up by the TMC goondas, I won’t say TMC workers. I have faith in the Indian judiciary that it will give them justice,” he said.

    “Violence has now become a part of the political culture of the state. Only BJP can end this. There is no violence in other states,” Majumdar added.

    Commenting on the upcoming bypolls for three assembly constituencies in Bhabanipur, Samserganj and Jangipur in West Bengal, and assured, “We will work as a team. We will perform better in upcoming elections, including panchayat, municipalities and Lok Sabha”.

    In August, Calcutta High Court ordered a court-monitored CBI probe into the incidents of post-poll violence in the state.

    The High Court also ordered to set up Special Investigation Teams (SIT) for investigation and senior officers from West Bengal cadre will be a part of the team and directed the state government to take immediate steps for compensation for the victims of post-poll violence.

    Soon after the results of assembly polls in Bengal on May 2 were declared, violent incidents were reported after supporters of TMC and BJP allegedly clashed in various parts of the state since May 2, killing many people and triggering an alleged exodus.

    A four-member team deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs had also visited the post-poll violence-affected areas.

  • West Bengal government appoints 10 IPS officers to assist SIT probe on post-poll violence

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has appointed ten IPS officers to assist a special investigating team (SIT) formed by the Calcutta High Court to probe cases of post-poll violence in the state, a senior official said on Thursday.

    The officers have been deployed for north, west and south zones of the state as well as for the Kolkata Police areas, he said.

    “The services of the IPS officers are hereby spared, in addition to their normal duties, to assist the SIT constituted by the Hon’ble High Court at Calcutta (sic),” an order issued by the state home department stated.

    A five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court had on August 19 ordered the constitution of the SIT comprising IPS officers Soumen Mitra, Suman Bala Sahoo and Ranbir Kumar to look into the incidents of post-poll violence.

  • West Bengal post-poll violence: Calcutta High Court orders CBI probe into murder, rape cases

    By Online Desk

    The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered CBI probe into murder, rape cases and formed SIT for other offences during post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    The five-judge bench said that the HC will monitor CBI, SIT investigations into post-poll violence cases and asked th ecentral agency to file report by six weeks.

    Earlier, taking note of an interim report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the post-poll violence in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court had said that it prima facie appears to have caught the Mamata government on the wrong foot as the administration stayed in denial and tried to conceal more than reveal.

    Following a slew of petitions on post-poll violence, the bench had directed the NHRC on June 18 to constitute a committee to study the situation. 

    (This is a breaking news, more details awaited)

  • Calcutta HC allows WB govt to file supplementary affidavits on NHRC post-poll violence report 

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted the West Bengal government time to file supplementary affidavits by July 31 in connection with an NHRC inquiry committee report on alleged post-poll violence in the state.

    A five-judge bench, presided by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, directed that the matter will be taken up for hearing again on August 2.

    The high court granted the state government time to file the supplementary affidavits following a prayer by it.

    The DNA report of deceased BJP labour wing leader Avijit Sarkar was also submitted by the additional solicitor general before the bench, which was hearing PILs claiming assault on people, forcing them to flee homes and destruction of property due to violence following the assembly elections.

    The court had directed a DNA matching of Sarkar with his brother for identification.

    A second autopsy had earlier been carried out at the Command Hospital here on an order by the bench.

    The NHRC committee, set up by its chairman on a direction by the court, had made scathing comments on the law and order situation in West Bengal in its final report submitted before it on July 13.

    The state government, in an affidavit submitted on Monday, denied the findings of the report and alleged that it is politically motivated and aimed at maligning the Mamata Banerjee dispensation.

  • Bengal Governor forced to cut short address in Assembly amid ruckus by BJP legislators 

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: The opening session of the newly constituted West Bengal Assembly on Friday got off to a stormy start as Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was forced to cut short his inaugural speech amid ruckus by opposition BJP MLAs who took offence after finding “no mention” of post-poll violence in the address. 

    The Governor arrived at the Assembly and was received by Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay. He started reading out the address and skipped the middle portion of it. While concluding, Dhankhar read out the portion where it was mentioned that a section of the group in society is trying to divide people of Bengal and obstructing the state government’s beneficiary schemes, and that’s when the BJP legislators started shouting. Dhankhar could barely speak for four minutes as BJP MLAs, carrying posters and pictures of alleged victims of post-poll violence, rushed to the well of the House to stage a protest. To counter them, TMC MLAs, too, shouted denying BJP’s allegations.     

    According to the Assembly sources, the Governor began his speech at 2 pm and ended it at 2.04 pm, as his voice became inaudible.  Amid sloganeering, Dhankhar tabled the speech after reading a few lines from an 18-page address approved by the state Cabinet.

    “There was no mention of post-poll violence in the Governor’s speech which happened after the counting of the election results. Surprisingly, in the draft, it was mentioned that there was no post-poll violence in Bengal. We felt that it may be possible that he was saddened with the content of the speech drafted by the CM and that is why he cut short his speech,’’ said Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.On June 28, after returning from his north Bengal trip, Dhankhar said he had requested the CM to make changes to the speech but she turned down the proposal saying it was approved by her cabinet.  

  • Bengal post-poll violence: HC orders second autopsy of BJP leader’s body, cites NHRC report on sexual assault of victims

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Taking note of an interim report of an NHRC committee ordered by it to probe post-poll violence in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court on Friday directed a second autopsy of a BJP labour wing leader and issued a show- cause notice to a deputy commissioner of the Kolkata Police as to why contempt proceedings will not be initiated against him.

    The BJP trade union leader was allegedly killed in the post-poll violence in Kolkata.

    A five-judge bench hearing a bunch of PILs alleging atrocities in post-poll violence in the state, accepted a request by the committee for further time to carry out investigation, while maintaining that early action in the matter is expected as delay may result in destruction of evidence.

    “Let a notice be issued to Rashid Munir Khan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Suburban Division, Kolkata to show cause as to why proceedings for contempt be not initiated against him for violation of the order passed by this court on June 18, 2021,” the bench ordered.

    The interim report mentioned that Atif Rasheed, a member of the committee was obstructed from discharging his duty when he and his team members were attacked by goons on June 29 in Jadavpur area which falls under the city police’s South Suburban Division, the court noted.

    The high court on June 18 directed the NHRC to set up a committee to examine all cases with regard to alleged human rights violations during post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    The court directed the state government to provide all logistic support to the committee wherever and whenever they wish to visit any place and to ensure there is no obstruction of any kind in this process.

    “Such obstruction will be viewed seriously, which may entail action under the Contempt of Courts Act besides others,” the bench said in its order.

    The bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and justices I P Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Subrata Talukdar directed the police to register cases in all matters which have either been reported to it or have been placed before the NHRC or any other authority.

    The court directed that steps be taken to get the statements of the victims recorded under Section 164 CrPC immediately, as per law.

    It ordered a second autopsy of Abhijit Sarkar, vice president of Bharatiya Mazdoor Trade Union Council in Kolkata, whose body is lying in the mortuary of a hospital, by a team of doctors to be constituted by the head of the Command Hospital here.

    The family of Sarkar demanded a second autopsy, which was not acceded to by the police and the administration.

    The state was directed to make all arrangements for medical treatment of all who have been injured in the violence, post assembly elections.

    The bench ordered that the information asked for by the committee from different authorities of the state, be supplied immediately, maintaining that any delay may call for adverse inference.

    “From a perusal of the report prima facie stand taken by the petitioners is established that there had been post- poll violence and the state was found on a wrong foot, where throughout it was on a denial mode,” the bench observed.

    The committee filed an initial report in a sealed cover before the court on June 30 as per its direction.

    The bench said that a perusal of the report established the allegations of the petitioners in the PIL that a number of persons were killed in violence and many suffered sexual violence and grievous injuries, including minor girls who were “brutally assaulted sexually”.

    A bunch of PILs filed before the high court had alleged displacement of people from their residences, physical assault, destruction of property and ransacking of places of business owing to post-poll violence in the state.

    The five-judge bench had directed that the committee will examine all the cases, the complaints of which have already been received by the NHRC or which may be received, and “may be by visiting the affected areas” submit a comprehensive report before it about the present situation.

    The committee would also suggest the steps to be taken to ensure confidence of the people and so that they can peacefully live in their houses and also carry on their occupation or business to earn their livelihood, the bench directed.

  • West Bengal post-poll violence: Calcutta HC orders police to register all cases

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on July 2, 2021, ordered the police to register all cases of the victims of the post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    The five-judge bench while passing orders on the post-poll violence in West Bengal directed the state government to ensure medical treatment of all victims and to ensure ration for the affected even if they do not have ration cards.

    West Bengal Chief Secretary has been directed to preserve all documents related to the post-poll violence.

    The court also ordered to conduct the second autopsy of BJP worker Abhijeet Sarkar at Command Hospital in Kolkata.

    It issued show-cause notice to DCP Jadavpur, Rashid Munir Khan IPS, asking them to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him after the NHRC team was attacked in Jadavpur.

    The court also extended the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) investigation to July 13 and posted the matter for the next hearing to July 13.

    Several incidents of violence have been reported at various places after the announcement of the Assembly poll results on May 2, after which a four-member team deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs also visited the post-poll violence-affected areas. 

  • Bengal Post-poll violence: SC seeks Centre’s response for imposing President Rule in state

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking direction to the Centre to impose President’s Rule in West Bengal in view of deteriorating law and order situation due to the post-poll violence which started on May 2, the day of assembly election results.

    The plea also sought direction to the Centre to deploy armed/paramilitary forces in the aid of the administrative authorities to bring normalcy in the state and to save it from internal disturbances.

    Besides, the PIL has sought setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for probing the causes and reasons of post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari issued notice to the Centre, West Bengal and Election Commission of India on the plea, which also sought to central and state governments to award compensation to the victims and their family members after ascertaining the nature of loss sustained by them in post-poll violence in the state.

    Advocate Hari Shankar Jain — appearing for petitioners Ranjana Agnihotri, a UP based practicing lawyer and social worker Jitender Singh — said that the plea is against post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    The bench said, “We are issuing notice to respondent number 1, (Union of India), respondent number-2 (West Bengal government) and Respondent number 3 (Election Commission of India).”

    The bench, however, did not issue notice to respondent number 4 — Mamata Banerjee as the president of Trinamool Congress Party (TMC).

    The plea filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said that the PIL has been filed in extraordinary circumstances as thousands of residents of West Bengal are being terrorized, penalised and tortured by the workers of TMC for supporting the opposition party- Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) during the assembly polls.

    “The petitioners are espousing the cause of thousands of citizens of West Bengal who are mostly Hindus and are being targeted by Muslims to take revenge for supporting BJP as they want to crush Hindus so that for years to come the power may remain with the party of their choice,” the plea said.

    The plea sought from the court “directing the central government to exercise its power conferred by Article 355 and Article 356 keeping in view the deteriorating condition posing a threat to sovereignty and integrity of India”.

    It said that soon after the declaration of assembly polls result on May 2, the TMC workers and supporters started creating chaos, unrest and setting the houses and properties of Hindus on fire, looting and plundered their belongings for the simple reason that they had supported BJP in assembly polls.

    The plea said that in an attempt to create terror and disorder in the society at least 15 BJP workers/ sympathisers/supporters have lost their lives and a number of them were seriously injured.

    “The government and administration remained silent spectators and no protection was provided to the victims by them.

    The government, officials and the administration and the police are supporting workers of TMC, due to which the life, liberty, prestige, dignity and modesty of women are being taken away as is evident from the fact that number of persons were harmed and mercilessly murdered and no steps were taken for their safety,” the plea said.

    It added that no appropriate action was taken against the culprits, due to which the life, liberty, dignity of the women and children are in peril and the future of Hindu residents is in jeopardy.

    “In these circumstances, immediate intervention of the court is required and the court may issue command to the opposite parties is required and the court may issue command to the opposite parties so that the government of West Bengal functions in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and in case of continued violation the government of India may be directed to take appropriate action under Article 355 and 356 of the constitution,” it said.

    The plea alleged that during the assembly elections which were held in April, the TMC party had contested the polls purely “on communal basis arousing the feelings of the Muslims and appealing to them to remain united and vote for their party for their better future”.

    It said that subsequently BJP made a complaint to ECI against the communal appeal made by TMC party and the poll panel failed to hold free and fair election conforming the democratic norms and failed to enforce the mandatory provision of section 123 of Representation of People Act which has to be implemented during the election.

    The plea said that a seven-judge bench of the top court had in 2017, in the Abhiram Singh case, ruled that no person can be allowed to contest election by making religious appeal.

    “The election commission remained a silent spectator and the provision (of RP Act) was flagrantly violated”, it said, adding that the Muslim population is about 30 per cent in West Bengal due to “illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingia Muslims have been registered as voters without making any proper scrutiny and enquiry and in about 100 constituencies Muslims votes decide the fate of the candidates.

    The top court is already hearing a batch of pleas related to post-poll violence in the state and seeking probe by an independent agency into the alleged killing of BJP workers and sympathisers.

  • NHRC team attacked in Bengal’s Jadavpur during visit to probe post-poll violence

    By ANI
    JADAVPUR: A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team was allegedly attacked in West Bengal’s Jadavpur on Tuesday when it arrived to investigate alleged incidents of post-poll violence in the state.

    According to Atif Rasheed, a member of the NHRC investigation team, the team was attacked by goons.

    “During the probe, it has been found that more than 40 houses have been destroyed here. We are being attacked by goons,” said Rasheed.

    Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP, Swapan Dasgupta today wrote to Rajiv Jain, Member, NHRC stating, “I write to bring to your notice complete breakdown of law and order, wherein citizens of Tarakeshwar were subjected to continuous post-poll atrocities for no reason apart from their political preferences”

    On Sunday, NHRC invited complainants to meet and address their grievances to NHRC committee members either in person or via mail, or telephonically regarding the alleged post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    A press note issued by the NHRC on Sunday stated that as per the direction of the West Bengal High Court, a Committee has been constituted by the NHRC Chairperson to look into the various cases, complaints, allegations of violations of human rights, particularly in the post-poll period in West Bengal.

    It stated that the Committee, headed by Rajiv Jain, Member, NHRC and other members of the Committee and several teams of NHRC has been touring various places of West Bengal and enquiring into the veracity of these complaints/allegations.

    Earlier, on June 21, the NHRC chairperson Justice (Retired) Arun Mishra has constituted a committee headed by former Intelligence Bureau chief Rajiv Jain to enquire into the complaints of post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    The inquiry was ordered in accordance with the orders of the High Court of Calcutta, NHRC officials said. As per the orders of the High Court, the NHRC Committee shall examine all cases of post-poll violence in West Bengal, complaints about which have already been received in the National Human Rights Commission or which may be received.

    A four-member team deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs has also visited the post-poll violence-affected areas after several incidents of violence have been reported at various places after the declaration of the Assembly poll results on May 2.