KOLKATA: Accepting the petition by West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday seeking compensation for victims of panchayat poll violence and an investigation into it by an independent agency, the Calcutta High Court directed the state government to lodge FIRs in all cases of death during the course of the electoral exercise on July 8.
Responding to the division bench of the high court presided by Chief Justice T.S. Shivagnanam also directed the inspector general of the BSF, the nodal officer appointed for the deployment of Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) for the rural polls in the state, to file a report on the violence that took place two days ago. The bench asked the state government to provide assistance to the relatives for the cremation of those who died in the poll violence and healthcare facilities for the injured.
On the day of elections on July 8, 17 persons, including 10 Trinamool Congress activists, were killed in the violence across the state.
Chowdhury, in his petition, sought an investigation by a sitting judge of the high court or by an independent agency into the violence during panchayat polls. He, who appeared in person before the Court, said that the re-polling in 697 booths as directed by the State Election Commission (SEC) was like a drop in a bucket. The Congress leader said that the state government had a premonition that violence would occur on the day of polling but no steps were taken.
The re-polling was held peacefully without any major incidents of violence. Four personnel of the Central forces were deployed at every polling booth where re-polls were held. 175 polling booths went for re-poll in Murshidabad and 110 in Malda district.
Responding to Chowdhury’s petition alleging that CAPF personnel, who were supposed to be deployed in every booth, was hardly seen on the day of the rural polls, the bench said in its order. “The Inspector General, B.S.F., Nodal Officer, who has been appointed for deployment of Central Forces shall file a report before this Court as regards the violence, which took place in various booths during the election on 8th July, 2023.”
The bench pointed out that the report would be of significance because it is a submission of the petitioner appearing in person as well as the interveners that there has been large-scale rigging of the elections in various booths spread over the State.
In his submission, Chowdhury said, “Crude reality is that people of the state are experiencing a mockery of democracy, farce of political entitlement in these panchayat elections. Government, election commission and police are all conjointly hatching a conspiracy to deny the people their electoral entitlement.”
During the course of hearing on Monday, the deputy solicitor general was not present.