Suvendu government hits the ground running: Border fencing, bulldozers to curbing animal slaughter

On Friday, Adhikari held a press conference at Nabanna, where he announced the suspension of three senior IPS officers – former Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal and ex-deputy commissioners Abhishek Gupta and Indira Mukherjee – for “mishandling the R G Kar rape-murder incident, offering a bribe to the victim’s family and conducting a press conference without a written order”.

These were among several swift measures that the Suvendu government has taken within a week of the BJP coming to power in the state following its resounding win in the recent Assembly elections. This promptness reflects not only the CM’s aim to “shake the system” but also highlights the BJP government’s key agenda.

“People of Bengal have voted for our party primarily against the Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s corruption and terror, and also against an attempt to make Bengal into another Bangladesh. There is a huge expectation. The state government is working towards weeding out corruption. Once that is done, development will come. Or else, like in the TMC regime, development will be hampered,” Rahul Sinha, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, told The Indian Express.

“The TMC rewarded those who were corrupt. But now, Vineet Goyal and two other IPS officers have been suspended. They were close to the former CM (Mamata Banerjee) and therefore no action had been taken against them,” Sinha said.

On her part, Mamata went to the Calcutta High Court on May 12 to appear as a lawyer in a matter related to the post-poll violence, pleading that TMC workers have allegedly been targeted across the state. She said she has set up fact-finding committees that will visit the alleged violence-affected areas.

Speaking on the post-poll scenario in Bengal, a senior TMC leader said, “What happened in the first seven days were attacks on our workers, their homes were ransacked. Many of our workers have left their homes. Our leader Mamata Banerjee is a fighter and we will rise again. But this violence needs to stop. Our leader went to Calcutta High Court to plead. The issue has been highlighted in the state Assembly too. There are reasons for our loss during polls and we are rectifying it.”

First Cabinet meeting

At its first meeting on May 11, the Suvendu Cabinet decided to hand over land at the Bangladesh border to the Border Security Force (BSF) to complete border fencing. The handover will be completed within 45 days, the CM announced, fulfilling a promise made by the BJP in its election manifesto.

The Suvendu government also announced that voters deleted through the Election Commissions (EC)’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would not be able to avail the benefits of government schemes. It emphasised that the SIR deletions would be a new parameter for screening beneficiaries of the state and central schemes in Bengal.

To boost employment opportunities for the state’s educated youth, the Cabinet increased the upper age limit for government job applications by five years, fulfilling another promise made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the election campaign.

The Cabinet also officially moved to integrate Bengal with several flagship central schemes that had previously been stalled, including the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.

Adhikari said that schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, PM Jan Arogya Yojana, and PM Krishak Bima Yojana will now be fully implemented in the state.

The government also appointed Manoj Agarwal, the former state chief electoral officer (CEO) as the new chief secretary, and Subrata Gupta, a special observer during the SIR exercise, as an adviser to the CM. Both decisions were heavily criticised by the TMC.

Curbing animal slaughter

On May 13, the BJP government issued a notice banning animal slaughter in public places and made “fit to slaughter” certificates mandatory. The guidelines stated that animals could only be slaughtered in municipal slaughterhouses or any other slaughterhouse designated by the government.

The government also introduced guidelines, stating that no regular religious practices are permitted to block roads, and that the volume of loudspeakers at temples, mosques and other religious places must be controlled.

Crackdown on crime

Meanwhile, through fresh directives, the Bengal Police has ordered a comprehensive review of all cases related to the 2021 post-poll violence. The police are also set to launch a massive statewide crackdown on illegal arms, ammunition and explosives starting May 16.

These directives were issued by Ajay Ranade, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), following a meeting with Adhikari on May 12.

A key focus of the directives would be on serious complaints regarding the original investigations into the violence that followed the TMC’s victory in the 2021 elections. The BJP has long claimed that hundreds of its workers were killed or injured during that period.

Superintendents and Commissioners of Police have been told to carefully re-examine “final reports” submitted in 2021. If lapses are found, cases are to be reopened and thoroughly reinvestigated.

Authorities will review general diary entries (GDEs) and petitions from 2021 where specific cases were never registered. If a preliminary inquiry reveals a cognisable offence, fresh FIRs will be filed immediately, as per the directives. Senior officers are tasked with monitoring these cases through the trial stage, even after chargesheets are submitted.

The directives also call for heightened vigilance at the borders to dismantle criminal networks. SPs are required to hold border meetings to identify active criminals and “border touts”.

Other moves

While Food and Supplies Minister Ashok Kirtania ordered a screening of all ration cards to remove “non-Indians” and “ghost” beneficiaries, Agriculture Minister Dilip Ghosh said 6,500 vacant posts in his department would be filled.

Agnimitra Paul, Minister for Women and Child Development and Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, said she would focus on a series of civic and public safety initiatives, including a plan for an integrated women and child emergency helpline, geotagging-based garbage complaint system, and stricter parking regulations.

Kshudiram Tudu, Minister for Tribal Development and Backward Classes Welfare, has called for the screening of fake Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates, and action against officials responsible for it.

According to sources, discussions are on for a “Janata Darbar” where CM Adhikari will directly interact with the public to hear their grievances.

Oppn reactions

Md Salim, CPI(M) state secretary and Politburo member, said, “So far it’s early to judge. But it seems the government is playing good cop-bad cop. Some good announcements are being made and some action is being taken. One has to see how far these are implemented. It is good that three IPS officers have been suspended in the R G Kar case. But what did the CBI do? Was it able to bring out the larger conspiracy? But the CBI officer was awarded. Will there be a re-investigation by the state government? Let us see.”

Salim also said: “Post-poll violence is going on. The court has ruled for a return to peace. We are also seeing macho politics. We saw how a building was demolished by earthmovers. But what about the workers who died? What about compensation? What about the others who lost their jobs? If there are illegal buildings, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible. One has to address the issue properly.”

Naushad Siddiqui, the Indian Secular Front (ISF)’s Bhangar MLA who visited the demolition site at Tiljala, said, “This is not an example of good governance. The owners of the house should have been given time to place their papers and present their side. We strongly condemn such unilateral action.”