Bengal: Probe poll violence
The Calcutta HC’s order must lead to an assessment of what happened in the state
West Bengal has a history of political violence. This has taken explicit forms; the ultra-Left rebellion that started from Naxalbari in the late 1960s sparked a period of brutal killings and a forceful State crackdown. But violence has also been insidious. The three-and-a-half decade-long political domination of the Left was accompanied by a high level of coercion to enforce the party’s writ on society. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) imported much of the Left’s coercive machinery — the most visible manifestation of its willingness to deploy threats and violence as a political tactic was during the 2018 panchayat elections. In arguably the most competitive assembly election Bengal has seen in its recent history, this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the TMC had not just killed its workers before the polls, but had deployed force to punish its supporters after the polls, resulting in killings as well as crimes against women. The TMC has denied the allegations and claimed that, in any case, the Election Commission was in charge of law enforcement during the poll process.
It is in this backdrop that the Calcutta High Court, on Thursday, ordered a court-monitored independent probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into cases of murder, rape and attempted rape against women during the poll process. It also set up a special investigation team under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court (SC) judge to probe other related cases. This was based on a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) report — the TMC has alleged the report was a product of a political agenda, questioning the impartiality of the commission’s members; two judges too critiqued NHRC for overstepping its jurisdiction. The BJP has welcomed the order, while the TMC has indicated it will move the SC against the order.
There are two inter-related issues here. One, political violence is unacceptable. And if it was deployed before, during or after the electoral process, it undermines the fundamental right of citizens to make political choices freely. And, therefore, an investigation is essential. The TMC must cooperate fully and act against any leader or worker who may have been involved. Two, the credibility of any such investigation rests on whether it is professional and independent, or based on political diktats and interests. And, therefore, the BJP must not compromise the inquiry by using its political influence to shape conclusions in the case of the CBI. Uncovering the truth is essential to cleaning up democracy and providing justice.