DURING the election campaign, the chief minister had threatened to extract toll by ‘every inch’ after the polls. She also had publicly threatened the police officers who tried to implement the rule of law, adhering to the election commission’s directives. The effect is clearly visible after the elections in West Bengal.

Vicious spate of attacks on opposition supporters and activists has engulfed the whole state. The attack started as soon as results were out. TMC was particularly fierce in areas where they were defeated – either in the assembly constituency or in parts of the area.

600 PARTY OFFICES

ATTACKED

More than 600 offices of the Left parties and mass organisations have been burnt, destroyed or ransacked. CPI(M) offices were attacked almost in all districts. In West Midnapore alone, seven zonal committee offices of the CPI(M) along with 27 local committee and 42 branch committee offices were destroyed or burnt in five days. Offices were attacked in Narayangarh from where Surjyakanta Misra contested.  In Kolkata, 52 Party offices were destroyed and seized by the TMC. 440 Left activists and supporters were rendered homeless in the first five days in Kolkata. In East Midnapore, 20 Party offices were seized by the TMC. They also destroyed 120 houses and nearly hundred shops of Left supporters. In Nituria in Purulia, TMC gangs entered Party zonal office and burnt the red flag.  44 Party offices were destroyed in Hooghly. In North 24 Parganas, Party offices and houses were attacked in the entire Barrackpore industrial zone. Statue of Lenin was damaged; photographs of Communist leaders were damaged in many offices. Intensive terror has forced large number of CPI(M) supporters to flee from Haroa-Minakhan in the district. Even children were not spared.

HOUSES

RANSACKED

TMC miscreants attacked hundreds of houses of Left leaders and activists. CPI(M) Central Committee member Madan Ghosh’s house in Burdwan was attacked. Houses of veteran CPI(M) leader Dinesh Dakua in Coochbehar, state committee member Ratna Dutta, district secretariat members of Coochbehar,  Bankura, Birbhum, South 24 Parganas were attacked. Houses of Left Front candidates Shatarup Ghosh (Kasba), Rajib Biswas (Beleghata), re-elected MLA of Jamueria, Jahanara Khan, Asit Malik (Arambagh) were attacked. House of former MP Shaktimohan Malik in Arambagh was ransacked. Thousands of polling agents and their families have faced brutal attacks throughout the state. House of Pradip Tah, who was killed by the TMC in Burdwan in 2012, was also attacked. In Burdwan, houses and shops of Party workers were attacked in Burdwan town. Almost every area of the town has witnessed attack after the results. Left supporters were attacked in Bhatar, Khandaghosh, Kalna, Aushgram and Kanksa. CPI(M) supporters were forcibly dragged into the ‘victory rallies’ of the ruling party.

In Coochbehar, unprecedented terror has been unleashed in all nine assembly constituency areas. In Sitalkuchi, Dinhata, Toofanganj, Coochbehar town, houses of Left supporters have been raided. Nearly 100 CPI(M) activists have taken shelter in Party district office itself. Hundred others have been forced to flee. Students are not being allowed to enter colleges, even appear in examinations.

Large scale attacks were unleashed in Liluah, Bally, North Howrah, Amta, Udaynarayanpur, Bagnan in Howrah district. Jute mill workers were beaten inside factory for participating in CPI(M)’s campaign. CITU offices were vandalised in Jalpaiguri.

NEW ENCLAVES

NOT SPARED

In July 2015, 51 enclaves (Chitmahal), attached to Bangladesh after independence, have formally merged with India. Nearly 14 thousand voters were enlisted for voting for the first time in their life. They became voters in three assembly constituencies in Coochbehar district. They were energetic and 91 percent votes were cast. Even a centurion had voted, creating history. But they were shocked to witness attacks by the TMC after the declaration of results. Majority of votes in these areas went in favour of the Left as they were friends of these people for a long time. TMC has attacked homes and charged ‘fine’ from 400 families, ranging from Rs 10,000 upwards. 35 houses were looted. Enclave areas and rehabilitation camps have been cordoned, farming banned, residents are not even allowed to buy daily needs from the local market. Residents are now fleeing from Mashaldanga, Poatur Hat to save their lives. Many of them have even urged the local administration to take back their identity cards to save them from attack.

PREGNANT WOMAN

TORTURED

In one of the most bizarre incidents, a pregnant woman was attacked and kicked mercilessly resulting in miscarriage. Arpita Mondal, a resident of village Daharpota in Bagda assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas was two-months pregnant. TMC has been defeated in Bagda. After the results, CPI(M) activists and supporters were attacked in Daharpota. Arpita rushed to save her husband Rahul Mondal along with other villagers. She was kicked and she fainted. She was taken to a hospital after profuse bleeding and doctors had to perform an emergency surgery to save her life.

CRUELTY

UNBOUND

In Kespur in West Midnapore, an armed gang of the TMC attacked tribal village Chowkighata and destroyed 82 houses of the tribals. They looted everything from cows to television sets and cycles. In Shiromoni in the same district, houses of 16 tribal families were looted. In Keshpur, CPI(M) supporters were beaten mercilessly and then salt and chili were applied in their wounds. No one was allowed to go to doctors or hospitals.

In Nanoor in Birbhum, CPI(M) candidate won despite terror-stricken atmosphere for five years. After the results were out, armed TMC gangs attacked villages. Houses of Left supporters were attacked. They also attacked a section of the TMC supporters apprehending that they had voted against the ruling party. In Dangapara, TMC hoodlums killed Khokan Sheikh, an agricultural worker. 

JADAVPUR

TARGETTED

In Jadavpur, TMC activists have gone berserk after chief minister herself provoked an attack. CPI(M) state secretariat member Sujan Chakraborty won from this constituency defeating the power minister. This constituency consists of 10 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and CPI(M) won in all wards in this election. In April last year, vote loot and rigging by armed TMC gangs helped them to capture the traditional strongholds of the Left movement. This time, the situation was a bit different and outsiders could not take control of the booths, resulting in defeat of the TMC’s high profile candidate. It has been reported in the media that Mamata Banerjee, in her first meeting with elected candidates of her party, expressed anguish about Jadavpur, particularly about ward no 109, where CPI(M) leader took a comfortable lead. She even asked her party workers to ‘take action’ saying that she would stand beside them. This has resulted in attacks on CPI(M) workers in Jadavpur. More than 40 houses were attacked, bombed, ransacked. Shahid Smriti Colony had borne the maximum brunt. In this area, TMC hooligans entered houses and assaulted women. 

Left Front and Congress leaders met Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi and urged him to intervene to stop this mayhem. They alleged that the chief minister had threatened the police officers during the electioneering and now the entire administration has become a mute spectator to the ongoing violence. Later, the governor wrote a letter to incumbent chief minister to take administrative actions to stop post poll violence. Addressing media persons outside Raj Bhavan, Surjyakanta Misra declared that the Left leaders would not attend the oath taking ceremony in this situation. The indications of the second edition of Mamata Banerjee government are clear and democracy would continue to be under threat in this regime.