A petition was filed in the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday calling for the imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal amid post-election violence in the state. The Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) stormed back into power in West Bengal this week, winning 213 of the 292 assembly seats and securing a third straight term in office. Her victory, however, precipitated a wave of violence.
“The election-related violence began after the declaration of the results on May 2. Members and supporters of the opposing political parties have been brutally murdered, with their houses and personal property being destroyed. There have been instances of heinous crimes including bombing of localities, murders, violations against the modesty of women, riotous looting, kidnapping, arson, and destruction of public property,” the petition said.
Initiated by the Tamil Nadu-based NGO Indic Collective Trust, the plea argued that “constitutional machinery” had broken down in West Bengal, and therefore it was worth considering the deployment of central protection forces, including the armed forces, to restore law and order in the area. The Trust also asked for a Special Investigation Team, led by a retired SC judge to conduct a probe into the “involvement of politicians, if any, in the targeted pogrom in West Bengal”. A similar petition has also been filed by BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia for a CBI inquiry into the violence.
The clashes have claimed at least 14 lives in two days, and both the BJP and TMC have blamed each other for the attacks. CM-elect Banerjee held an emergency meeting with top state officials (including Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay, Home Secretary H K Dwivedi, DGP P Nirajnayan, and Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra) on Tuesday to seek an immediate end to the violence. She reportedly ordered an increase in police surveillance and patrolling in areas that are seeing tension and demanded “strong action”.
The instability has also pushed the Centre to put pressure on the TMC government over the incidents, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking with Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the Union Home Ministry seeking a report from its state counterpart. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked a fact-finding team to look into the situation in West Bengal and submit a report within two weeks, while the National Commission for the Protection of Children has expressed concerns about children being recruited to take part in the clashes. Additionally, BJP chief JP Nadda is on a two-day visit to the state, where he intends to meet with the families of the party workers affected.
West Bengal: Plea Filed in SC Seeking President’s Rule Amid Post-Election Violence
The clashes have claimed at least 14 lives in two days, and both the BJP and TMC have blamed each other for the attacks.
May 5, 2021
SOURCE: LEGAL BITES