Adhikari orders probe into 2021 post-poll violence, targets Abhishek Banerjee
Hindustan Times
Image: Hindustan Times
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday held an administrative meeting and directed police stations across the state to investigate all post-2021 assembly poll violence cases.Hours later, at a Bharatiya Janata Party rally for the May 21 Falta assembly repoll, he said he found records of properties owned by Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s company.Referring to Banerjee as ‘bhaipo babu’ (mister nephew), Adhikari said at the rally that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) provided him with the property papers of Leaps and Bounds, Banerjee’s company, which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) earlier searched in connection with ongoing cases.“I received bhaipo babu’s property details from the KMC. Your Leaps and Bounds has 24 properties in Kolkata. There is also a palace-like office in Amtala. Don’t we know what you have done using the police?” Adhikari, who is also the home minister, said.For his first interaction with police station officers from across the state, Adhikari chose South 24 Parganas district’s Diamond Harbour, Banerjee’s Lok Sabha constituency from 2014, where a repoll was ordered in the Falta assembly segment after voters alleged that followers of TMC candidate Jahangir Sheikh stopped them from voting.“All these years, the ruler set the law. Now, law will rule. Officers from all districts of Bengal joined the meeting virtually as we wanted to save fuel. The state’s police have been directed to enforce law following the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and lodge first information reports (FIRs) for every incident of murder and assault that were not investigated,” Adhikari said after his administrative meeting.The meeting was held amid dozens of arrests across the state on the basis of complaints of extortion, violence and land grabbing lodged against TMC leaders. The drive started days after Adhikari took the oath as CM on May 9.On Friday, the Bidhannagar police commissionerate registered an FIR against Banerjee under six sections of the BNS and the Representation of People Act for allegedly making inciting campaign speeches. At least two of the charges are non-bailable.Also Read: Abhishek Banerjee named in FIR over controversial speeches during Bengal polls“Let the families of those who died or were injured in political violence over the last five years file complaints with evidence. If they don’t have evidence then the police will investigate and lodge FIRs,” Adhikari said.Tamal Haldar, a TMC councilor at the Diamond Harbour municipality, recently alleged that in 2023 he was stripped and tortured by police under orders from top party leaders.Adhikari said allegations of police brutality will not be overlooked.“Those who were illegally detained by police and turtured in custody without case registration and court production must lodge complaints now. These will be investigated. The same will apply to women who faced torture,” he said.“There was an atmosphere of terror. An MP’s personal assistant used to give instructions to officers-in-charge of police stations and the superintendent of police would learn of it later. This will stop,” he added.“Those who had to pay bribe to get the benefits of state and Central social welfare schemes must come forward and lodge complaints. If they paid through RTGS mode...then that should be sufficient as evidence. Otherwise, the police will investigate and recover evidence,” he said.“I am here as the CM. There will be more political speeches at administrative meetings or calling officers by their names,” he said.“There are 2,25,000 voters in Falta. Of them, 165,000 belong to the category that ensured our victory in the Bengal elections. I am this state’s first BJP CM. I appeal to you to ensure that our candidate Debangshu Panda wins by a margin of 1,00,000 votes. They should get no votes in the nationalist polling booths,” he said at Falta poll rally.“I promise that not only will I implement what was promised in our election manifesto but prepare a special development package for Falta. While coming here I asked people for how long have they not voted. They have not [voted] since bhaipo (nephew) came. This repoll is not just a democracy exercise. India is the world’s largest democracy and there is place called Falta where people couldn’t vote in 10 years,” he said.“You have to take revenge but not by taking law in your hands. I want a peaceful election. This is the tradition in all BJP-ruled states. The 2021 election in Bengal marks a black chapter. Our workers were hounded and murdered. As many as 12,500 FIRs were lodged. If the accused are found guilty, we will put them in jail,” he said.“You did not let people vote in the panchayat polls either. You did not let them enter panchayat office. I have told police to sit with pen and paper. FIR must be filed for all incidents. I directed the police at the Diamond Harbour meeting to submit phone call and WhatsApp chat records. Bhaipo’s personal assistant used to give directions to the police. I will find out everything,” he said.Referring to the BJP’s victory with 207 of West Bengal’s 294 seats, Adhikari said that the people were free.“This is the second day of freedom for nationalist Bengalis, not just a victory for the BJP. They (TMC) changed Durga Puja immersion dates. They placed an idol of Kali in a police van at Kakdwip. Idols of Maa Jagadhatri and Bajrangbali were vandalised. I will reopen all cases. The officer who put the Kali idol in a prison van will have no place in Bengal,” he said.The TMC did not react to the remarks Adhikari, but said its fact-finding teams visited homes of party supporters who were attacked after the poll results were announced on May 4.TMC alleged that more than 3,000 of its workers had been driven out of home and around 10 were murdered.“Where is the justice? These are sons and daughters of Bengal [they were] ordinary people whose only “crime” was standing with the TMC. How long will the police administration remain silent spectators? How long will the system continue to look away while political violence destroys lives and families?” the party said in a social media post.
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