Victims of Bengal post-poll violence yet to get justice
‘Many BJP members and volunteers are still homeless and many have not been able to return to their homes’.
Many BJP members and volunteers who were victims of the post-poll violence in West Bengal in May 2021, are still homeless, and several have not been able to return to their homes. Some have received police protection after a long struggle, while others are still waiting for justice to be served. Several cases of police inaction have been filed in court. Though the Calcutta High Court has directed police protection for the alleged victims, no signed copy of the court order has yet been provided. “I have not received the signed copy of the court orders yet,” Advocate Priyanka Tiberwal told The Sunday Guardian.
Recently, the Calcutta High Court ordered police protection for 303 alleged victims of post-poll violence. The order was issued by a bench consisting of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajrashi Bharadwaj in response to Advocate Priyanka Tibrewal’s plea, which provided thorough information about the homeless victims to the bench. The Bengal Police DG and IG have been directed by the court to ensure the safety of all individuals who have complained of being forced to leave their homes owing to violence. A five-judge bench also ordered the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to look into all other charges relating to the alleged post-poll violence.
Advocate Priyanka Tibrewal stated in the petition that if the victims are not given police protection, they will face serious difficulties because they are constantly threatened by local goons and the police authorities are not taking any action. During the court hearing, Advocate Tibrewal also stated that a committee comprised of two members, one from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the other from the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), should be formed to present an affidavit containing the names of the 303 alleged victims to the committee in order to determine the actual situation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), represented by Additional Solicitor General Y.J. Dastoor, informed the Bench that the 28 cases that were under investigation are still being investigated. The court ordered the state government to respond to the affidavit of Advocate Tibrewal by 19 April, and the case was adjourned until then.
While speaking to several victims, the correspondent received a copy of a case where a victim, Sumita Sarkar, was subjected to a criminal offence. She lodged a complaint of police inactiveness. As per the report received by this correspondent, it was stated that the victim, “lodged several complaints to the respondent authorities seeking protection of her and her husband’s life and property”. On 17 May 2021, she filed a complaint with the Superintendent of Police, Diamond Harbour Police District, and the Officer in Charge of Bishnupur Police Station, expressing her dissatisfaction that on 4 May 2021, at about 10:56 pm, some local goons attacked her and her husband and assaulted them with wooden sticks, iron rods, and brick pieces.
The family was also humiliated and abused by using filthy language. The local goons started throwing brick pieces towards their house, causing damage to the window glasses and trying to break the door with iron rods and wooden sticks, damaging the main door. She and her husband were afraid to go outside; somehow they were hidden inside the home. The entire incident was recorded by the CCTV camera placed right outside the victim’s house.
The case also points out that several accused persons who were later on released on bail were also threatening her family again. To which, the court ordered that the victim had the option of filing an application for bail cancellation under the Criminal Procedure Code. The Superintendent of Police is then ordered to guarantee that the victim’s life and property are adequately protected by the police. Several similar cases have been reported, so far.
After the victory of the Trinamool Congress, several incidents of murder and rape were reported from Bengal. As per reports, 47 of the 303 alleged victims were unable to return to their workplaces, 92 of them had their homes demolished, and 164 had been forcibly removed from their houses and were unable to return.