This is an archive article published on June 6, 2024
HC pulls up Bengal police: ‘Will order Central forces to stay for next 5 years if post-poll violence is not controlled’
Hearing a PIL filed by an organisation, Rastrabadi Ainjeebi, the Division Bench of Justice Kausik Chanda and Justice Apurba Sinha Ray also issued a directive to the state government to allow people affected by violence to submit complaints to the state's Director General of Police (DGP) via email.
3 min readKolkataUpdated: Jun 7, 2024 07:47 AM IST
A day before the counting on June 4, the Election Commission (EC) decided to extend the deployment of nearly 400 companies of Central forces in West Bengal for another 15 days till June 19. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Expressing dismay and concern over reports of alleged post-poll violence in West Bengal following the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday said it may ask the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to stay deployed in the state for the next five years if the state fails to control violence.
Hearing a PIL filed by an organisation, Rastrabadi Ainjeebi, the Division Bench of Justice Kausik Chanda and Justice Apurba Sinha Ray also issued a directive to the state government to allow people affected by violence to submit complaints to the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) via email.
“We want to ensure security of the people of the state at any cost,” the Bench said.
The court also ordered DGP Sanjay Mukhopadhyay to submit a report within 10 days on the number of post-poll violence complaints received by the police, the number of FIRs registered, and the subsequent actions taken, if any. The court also directed the police to upload on its website the received complaints immediately.
During the hearing, the counsel of petitioner, Susmita Saha Dutta, told the court that 11 people have died since the seven-phase polling in the state concluded last Saturday. “On June 1, the election process was completed. After that till Thursday, 11 people have died in post-poll violence,” Dutta told the court.
The Bench then asked, “How can we be convinced that 11 people have died?”
Dutta replied, “We have sufficient documents.”
Advocate General Kishore Dutta, representing the state government, intervened, saying: “These are not true.”
Justice Koushik Chanda said, “Every day, we are watching in the media about post-poll violence. What happened after the last Assembly election, the same thing is happening this time also. You (State) should be ashamed.”
“If the state fails to control this violence, we have to make a decision that in the next five years, the Central forces will stay in this state,” Justice Chanda added.
A day before the counting on June 4, the Election Commission (EC) decided to extend the deployment of nearly 400 companies of Central forces in West Bengal for another 15 days till June 19. The EC said the CAPF would be deployed primarily in areas and districts that are sensitive in terms of violence to prevent any untoward incident. Earlier, the Central forces were supposed to stay in the state till June 6 – two days after the counting of votes.
In August 2021, following violence after the Assembly election results, a five-judge bench of the High Court had ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising three IPS officers of the West Bengal cadre, to oversee investigations into post-poll violence-related complaints.
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
