"Violence By Political Parties Has Become Citizens' Nightmare": PIL In Calcutta High Court Seeks Deployment Of Central Forces In West Bengal

A Petition in the public interest has been moved before the Calcutta High Court regarding violence taking place in various parts of the State of West Bengal after Assembly Elections, 2021.

The Plea has been filed by an Advocate Anindya Sundar Das through Advocates Uday Sankar Chattopadhyay, Debopriya Samanta, Santanu Majhi raising the grievance that life and liberty of the people is in danger due to alleged inaction by the police.

The Bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee will be taking up the plea for hearing at 2 pm today. The plea has impleaded Union Of India, Election Commission of India, The State of West Bengal, The Director-General of Police, The Commissioner of Police, and The Chief Electoral Officer, Government of West Bengal Kolkata as respondents.

Averments in the plea

The plea has assailed the actions on the part of the respondents in failing in their respective duties to stop the post-Assembly Election Relentless Violence in West Bengal.

The plea has submitted that the activists of the ruling party after the declaration of the result attacked the houses of the activists and supporters of the opposition parties and that they ransacked and looted the properties and they physically assaulted the innocent persons who only cast their votes to any opposition party according to the assessment of the local leaders of the ruling party.

"In fact, after general elections, some sorts of violence usually occur in West Bengal, and administration takes active part to prevent the said violence, but now the sorrow state of affair is that the hooligans of the locale in the name of the religion attacked the supporters of the opposition party who by birth belong to another religion. In fact, those innocent distressed persons have been driven out from their locale. Their cattle, including hens, birds and other economically important domestic animals have been stolen," the plea states.

Further, the plea also raises the issue related to the fake news being circulated on various platforms of social media thereby causing disharmony among the different communities and religions within the state of West Bengal, and the state administration is only keeping mum over the entire issue.

The plea also avers that post-Assembly Election Results, in all over the State of West Bengal the state of affairs has been horrendous in nature with Police Personnel being absolutely insensitive and dumb spectators to the gory situations that are being taken place between different political parties leaving people dead.

Importantly, it has also submitted,

"Different political party workers are taking out on each other regarding deaths, severe injuries and all other heinous activities caused by them hampering the daily lives of the common people of the State of West Bengal and they are continuing to resort to such inhuman activities taking the law and order situation in their own hands."

Lastly, it submits that the law and order situation is kind of paralyzed and people are witnessing the State of West Bengal as the guardianless state which is a sign of quite insecurity for them and as the state Police Personnel has been unable to secure the peaceful post-election result situation so far, they should be hauled up by this Hon'ble court and a CBI investigation may be directed.

Prayers in the plea

• Direct respondent authorities to take measures forthwith to stop the ongoing post-election violence throughout the State of West Bengal;
• Direct authorities to cause an independent and impartial investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Hon'ble Court, in the matter of post-poll violence throughout the state of West Bengal;
• Direct respondent authorities to hand over the investigation relating to the ongoing post-poll violence in the State of West Bengal to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and to file a report of such investigation before the Hon'ble Court;
• Direct the UNION of India to deploy adequate central forces in the disturbing areas of the state of West Bengal for at least a period of one month; 
• Direct respondents to provide adequate compensations to the families of the dead victims.

In related news, BJP leader and Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia has moved the Supreme Court seeking an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the violence that has erupted across West Bengal post the election results on 2nd May.

Apart from seeking an inquiry and investigation into the "instances of rampant violence, murders and rapes that have been carried out by workers of TMC across the State of West Bengal", the Application also seeks directions to the State to "file a detailed status report qua the FIRs registered, arrests made and steps taken by it against the perpetrators of the crimes mentioned in the instant application".