After the Trinamool Congress (TMC) romped home with a landslide victory in the West Bengal assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now blaming it for the bouts of violence being reported from across the state. At least 10 people are reported to have been killed in the state so far.
West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh accused the TMC of killing at least six people including the aged mother of a BJP worker. Addressing media persons Ghosh said, “As per information available with us at present, six people have been killed. The mother of one one of our party workers was also killed when she tried to save him in Jagaddal.” Ghosh further alleged, “In Ranaghat, 48-year-old Uttam Ghosh was killed and in Beliaghata our party worker Abhijit Sarkar was beaten to death. In Sitalkuchi a 19-year-old Manik Moitra was shot in the head.” He also said that one more person was killed in Sonarpur.
Reports of violence started coming in from Sunday itself, after a BJP office in Arambagh in Hooghly district was set on fire. No one was reported killed in this incident. In another incident reported by The Telegraph, Hasanur Jaman, a party worker of the Indian Secular Front was also reported to have been killed in a bomb attack in Kadambagachhi. India Today reported vandalism in Jadavpur, though the perpetrators remain unidentified. BJP’s Nandigram office was also allegedly set on fire. India Today reported violence in North Bengal’s Jalpaiguri where newly elected BJP MLA Sikha Chatterjee’s home was vandalized allegedly by TMC supporters.
The Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) has also alleged that their party offices were vandalised. Subhashini li tweeted that a woman party worker identified as Kakali Kshetrapal was killed in her home in Burdwan.
Yes TMC has won decisively but that has increased its aggression against political opponents. Our AIDWA comrade KAKOLI KSHETRAPAL was brutally murdered in her home in Jamalpur, Burdwan two days ago. Appalling. No justice can be expected. We have lost a brave woman comrade.
— Subhashini Ali (@SubhashiniAli) May 4, 2021
Senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechuri also accused the TMC of “unleashing mayhem”. He tweeted disturbing images of those killed saying, “Are these reports of gruesome violence in Bengal TMC’s ‘victory celebrations’?Condemnable. Will be resisted & rebuffed. Instead of focusing on combating the pandemic TMC unleashes such mayhem. CPI(M), as always, will be with the people to protect, assist, providing relief.”
It is noteworthy, that since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s previous term has expired and she will only take oath on May 5, the interim responsibility of maintaining law and order in the state rests on the governor, who has been holding a series of meetings with officials of the state’s law enforcement machinery and giving regular updates to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
According to West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar at least nine persons have been killed in post-poll violence. In a series of tweets Dhankar spoke about instances of looting, arson and killing.
DGP @WBPolice and Commissioner @CPKolkata summoned by me in the wake of continually rising post poll incidents of arson, looting and violence as also killings in the State were indicated of alarming scenario.
Called upon them to take all steps to restore law and order. pic.twitter.com/BcblaimLeO
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 3, 2021
Sad also to gather that nine persons have lost their lives and many injured in post poll political violence.
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 3, 2021
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accused TMC “goons” of vandalizing its Kolata office and desecrating idols of Hindu deities.
After dashing the idols of Hindu Gods & Goddesses to smithereens, they further vandalized the portraits of thought leaders and national figures like Rabindranath Tagore, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Subhas Chandra Bose and others.
The attackers shouted pro-Mamata Banerjee slogans…
— ABVP (@ABVPVoice) May 3, 2021
The TMC has refuted all allegations. Senior TMC leaders Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra took to Twitter to address allegations:
Thought for the day. pic.twitter.com/LD0fU0rqzh
— Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) May 4, 2021
To @BJP’s fake troll army busy disseminating a nationwide fake news campaign on how WB is burning. It is not.
Stop the lies. It cost you Bengal. Will cost you India next.
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) May 4, 2021
TMC also accused the BJP of killing three of its supporters in Purba Bardhaman when they were on their way to Nabagram in Jamalpur.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal police took to Twitter to bust fake news circulating on social media, given how such pieces of false information often add fuel to the fire.
#FakeNewsAlert pic.twitter.com/gSAYkNPGb2
— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) May 4, 2021
AltNews too busted fake news of an old video of a police vehicle being attacked in Odisha being circulated as an example of post-poll violence in West Bengal.
An old video of a mob attacking a cop and a police vehicle in Odisha’s Bhadrak district has been falsely shared as post-poll violence by TMC in West Bengal. #AltNewsFactCheck | @ArchitMeta https://t.co/pPb04IjKnq
— Alt News (@AltNews) May 4, 2021
Bengal Assembly elections were marred by violence during campaigning as well as during polling, the Sitalkuchi firings being the most-stark example of cold-blooded killings. Now with reports of post poll violence, it appears that the state will need some time before it gets back on its feet.
Related:
Battleground Bengal: TMC decimates BJP’s communal agenda, wins almost 50 percent vote share!