Four persons were killed in alleged post-poll clashes across West Bengal in the past 24 hours, party representatives claimed on Tuesday, hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state, ousting the 15-year-old Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in a bitterly contested election.
While two BJP workers were killed in New Town in North 24 Parganas and Udaynarayanpur in Howrah, a party spokesperson alleged, the TMC said that two party members were killed in Beleghata in Kolkata and Nanoor in Birbhum.
Police are yet to confirm whether the deaths were linked to politics. A senior police officer, who asked not to be named, said at least two cases were not political. “Preliminary investigation suggests that the murder in Howrah was not political. It was due to personal enmity. At Beleghata, the victim jumped from the terrace while trying to escape when some men came looking for him at his doorsteps,” the officer said.
“The ECI has directed the state’s chief secretary, director general of police and CAPFs deployed in the state to ensure zero tolerance towards post-poll violence in the state,” said a senior polling official.
The BJP on Monday swept the state assembly elections winning 206 seats while the TMC bagged 81 in the 294-seat assembly. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost in Bhabanipur to BJP’s CM contender, Suvendu Adhikari; 22 of the 35 state government ministers who contested the polls, 22 were defeated.
Incidents of violence have been reported from across the state since Monday evening with both parties levelling allegations at each other.
“Till reports last came in two of our party workers were killed,” Debjit Sarkar, BJP spokesperson, said on Tuesday.
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Madhu Mondol, a BJP worker, was killed while returning home after attending a party victory rally in New Town. Later, BJP workers ransacked the home of TMC worker Kamal Mondol, alleging he was behind the murder.
BJP worker, Yadav Bar, was killed in Udaynarayanpur in Howrah. “My husband was attacked for shouting ‘Joy Shree Ram’ and playing with saffron colours after the BJP won the elections,” Krishna Bar, the victim’s wife told the media.
The TMC also listed incidents of attacks on its party members. “Two of our workers have been killed so far, one in Birbhum and another in Kolkata,” Jay Prakash Majumdar, TMC spokesperson, said.
In Birbhum, the victim was identified as party member, Abir Sheikh, while in Beleghata, a TMC worker named Biswajit Pattanaik was killed, his family members alleged.
“He was chased and murdered. There were at least 10 – 12 people. No one dared to open the doors. When my sister-in-law rushed out hearing the commotion, she found that my brother was lying in a pool of blood,” Pattanaik’s sister told the media.
Meanwhile, reports of TMC party offices being ransacked came in from multiple locations.
In east Kolkata, TMC ward councillor Sushanta Kumar Ghosh’s office was attacked late on Monday night. Ghosh’s supporters alleged that BJP workers were behind the attack. “A group of men, armed with lathis and roads, ransacked the office and set furniture and banners on fire. This happened hours after the BJP won the elections,” said a TMC supporter.
In Tollygunge, former state minister Arup Biwas’ party office was also attacked. TMC offices were also ransacked in Panihati in North 24 Parganas, Ghatal in West Midnapore, Asansol in West Burdwan, Diamond Harbor and Falta in South 24 Parganas.
Three persons were injured in Naihati’s Mamudpur in Naihati where a BJP worker’s house was allegedly attacked; later a local club was also ransacked.
Samik Bhattacharya, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha member, condemned the violence.
“If any BJP worker is found to attack any worker of any political party or even if he resorts to intimidation, we will throw him out of the party. The BJP won’t tolerate any political violence. We want to change this trend of poll-violence. This has to stop. Enough is enough. The administration has bene urged to take strict actions against anyone found involved in any violence irrespective of the political colours,” he said.
“BJP is already leaving its mark on Bengal, and this is the true face of their ‘Poriborton.’ The ‘Poriborton’ that leaves our party workers battered, bruised, broken and killed,” the TMC wrote on X.
“This is the same @BJP4India that used to froth at the mouth and lecture the world about “political violence” every single day. We had always said, ‘We want change not revenge’. Today, they have thrown their mask away and are openly unleashing mindless violence and hooliganism across Bengal,” the TMC wrote in another X-post.
The two-phase assembly elections held in April were largely peaceful. West Bengal registered an average 92.93% voter turnout in the two phases, the highest in the state in any election since independence.
“After many years, West Bengal witnessed an election with no casualties. There was not a single crude bomb blast either. In 2021, at least 24 people were killed in pre-poll and poll-day clashes. In 2016, at least seven persons were killed. In 2016 more than 60 cases of crude bomb blasts were reported in which several persons were injured,” said a senior police officer.
Over 2,400 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed in the state in the run-up to the assembly elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to retain around 500 companies in the state until further orders to prevent post-poll violence.
