Post-Poll Violence in Bengal With Active Collusion of Administration ?To Silence the Political Rivals?, Finds Civil Society Fact-Finding Team

The post-poll violence in West Bengal was perpetrated by the Trinamool Congress’ cadre with the active collusion of the state administration ‘to silence the political rivals’.

The fear was such that the victims of the political violence were scared to lodge official complaints and, the All-India Services officers like IAS and IPS failed miserably to perform their Constitutionally mandated duties.

These are the findings of a civil society’s Fact-Finding Committee on Post-Poll Violence in West Bengal. The committee submitted the report to G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Government of India, on Tuesday (June 29).

It noted, “In most of the cases, victims were afraid to complain to the police either due to fear of reprisal or because of the lack of faith in the police.”

It further noted, “The intensity and spread of post-poll violence could have been halted, or controlled if the administration and police had acted in time. The assessment of the ground situation reveals that no adequate or reasonable measures were taken, knowingly or unknowingly.”

The committee has recommended urgent steps to restore normalcy in the state. It has also recommended, the Union government “as Cadre Control Authority for All India Service Officers should address these issues comprehensively, explore all viable legal possibilities and make mid-course corrections as some of these problems relate to other States as well.”

The Fact-Finding Committee comprises Justice Permod Kohli, Former Chief Justice Sikkim-chairperson, Anand Bose IAS, Former Chief Secretary, Kerala, Nirmal Kaur IPS, Former DGP, Jharkhand, Nisar Ahmed, Past President, ICSI and M. Madan Gopal IAS, Former Addl Chief Secretary, Karnataka.

The committee has recommended an NIA investigation and has requested for a Supreme Court-monitored SIT to provide justice to the victims.

The Calcutta High Court had also ordered the NHRC to form a committee to investigate the cases of post-poll violence in West Bengal. The NHRC Committee will submit its report on Wednesday (June 30).