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Journalism of Courage
Having spent the day taking stock of the law and order situation on Saturday, Governor C V Ananda Bose painted a grim picture of the West Bengal panchayat polls, saying what he had seen “in the field is very disturbing”.
“There is violence, there is murder… there is force, intimidation. We should kill poverty; instead, we are killing the poor. This is not what Bengal wants. This lack of peace in society will affect the next generation,” he said at a press briefing in the evening.
“Politics should be there, but I want to take out violence from the purview of politics,” he said, adding: “There is nothing called my violence and your violence. Violence is violence.”
The Governor, who visited several violence-hit areas, said it “isn’t a very happy situation”. “The perpetrators of violence want murder, they want starvation, they want bullets. Instead of waging war, we must learn to wage peace.”
After visiting a hospital in North 24 Parganas district where some of the injured were admitted, Bose urged State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha to discharge his constitutional duties.
“I was told that murders are taking place, gunshots are heard, people are being beaten to death. Yes, these are stray cases, but even one case where there is bloodshed should cause concern to all of us. This is a most sacred day for democracy, where the ordinary man in the street is empowered to vote according to the Constitution. Elections should be held without violence. Whenever I have received complaints, I have sent it to the competent authorities – that is, the State Election Commissioner. In all fairness, I can say I get an instant reply from him. Today, I want to tell the people to go out and vote. Please exercise your right. Your vote alone can solve the situation. Vote according to your conscience,” he said.
“I have been in the field right from the morning… People stopped my motorcade on the way. They told me about murders happening around them, told me about goons not allowing them to go to polling booths… It should cause concern to all of us. This is the most sacred day for democracy… Election must be through ballots, not bullets,” Bose said.
After visiting Barrackpore town of North 24 Parganas, Bose visited polling stations in Kadambagachi area, and then Kalyani in Nadia district.
During his visit to Kadambagachhi, he met the family of a man, Abdulla, who was allegedly assaulted by TMC workers for supporting an independent candidate. When Bose met Abdulla’s wife, Hasinara Bibi, she said, “We want exemplary punishment.” The Governor then went to see Abdulla at the hospital.
“After he paid this area a visit, we got the courage to come out of our home and cast our votes. Central forces also came here to guard the booth. Police are also patrolling from time to time,” said a resident, Rosenara Bibi.
On Thursday, Bose had alleged that the SEC had failed in discharging his duties. Addressing a press conference, he had urged him to ensure that people’s lives were protected. He had also opened a ‘Peace Home’ at the Raj Bhavan to address complaints of the common people.
