Violence rears its head again in Bengal ahead of panchayat polls

As West Bengal gears up for Panchayat elections, there is a renewed spurt in political violence, which has become synonymous with politics in the state. The series of incidents in the past few days, in which at least three people were killed and scores injured, clearly shows that the state government’s drive to recover illegal arms and ammunition to curb political clashes did not yield desired results.

These incidents also cast doubt on the repeated assurances of the ruling party leaders that they would ensure peaceful Panchayat elections, billed as a semi-final ahead of the real battle (General Elections) in 2024.

Tension in Birbhum

Two Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers succumbed to injuries after unidentified miscreants hurled crude bombs on the motorcycle they were riding in Birbhum district on Saturday. Following the incident, a local Congress leader’s house was attacked as the TMC blamed the Congress for the death of their workers.

“Those responsible for the bomb attack were earlier with the BJP and have recently joined the Congress. Police are investigating the matter. The culprits will be nabbed soon,” said senior TMC leader and West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim.

Local villagers claimed that political tension has prevailed in the area for quite some time in view of the upcoming panchayat elections. The TMC suffered a setback in Birbhum due to the arrest of its district president and strongman Anubrata Mondal by the CBI in a cattle-smuggling case in August last year. His arrest has galvanised the opposition and demoralised the TMC in the district, compelling TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to proclaim last week that she herself would take care of party affairs in the district.

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The latest flare-ups in Birbhum are seen as an attempt by the opposition to challenge the long-hold domination of the TMC in absence of Mondal, who was known for use of muscle power to subdue oppositions.

ISF vs. TMC

Birbhum is not the only hotspot in the state though. Incidents of political violence are being reported from almost every part of the state as the challengers are trying to wrest political turf from the incumbent while the latter is trying to retain its domination.

Indian Secular Front (ISF) and TMC supporters are sporadically fighting pitched battles at Bhangar in South Parganas district. The area even witnessed a free-for-all battle coinciding with the foundation day of the ISF on January 21.

The impact of it was felt even in Kolkata when the ISF supporters clashed with the police demanding arrest of TMC leader Arabul Islam for the Bhangar violence. Several policemen and ISF supporters sustained injuries in the clash. The lone ISF MLA Mohammad Nawsad Siddique was arrested.

A day after the incident, crude bombs were recovered from near the house of a local TMC leader in Bhangar. There were reports of gun fights and bombing at Malda district’s Ratua as two TMC factions clashed over the elections of a Madrasa Management Committee on Sunday (February 5).

In another incident, one person was killed and two others were injured when crude bombs they were allegedly making inside a house at Basanti in South 24 Parganas district exploded on Saturday (February 4). There had been many more such incidents, prompting the BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh to allege that the state was “sitting on bombs.”

Chief Minister Mamata Banejee had asked police to launch a drive to recover all illegal arms, ammunition and bombs after eight people were charred to death in a gruesome political violence at Bogtu village in Birbhum district last year.

Failure of clean-up drive

The recent incidents bear testimony to the police’s failure in the clean-up drive, sparking fear of rerun of 2018 gory rural polls. At least 12 people were killed and many, including policemen, were injured and several opposition candidates were prevented from filing nominations in the last rural body elections.

Panchayat elections in West Bengal are likely to be held in March-April this year. The state election commission is expected to announce the poll schedule soon. TMC general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee has repeatedly claimed that there would be no violence in the rural polls this time.

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Responding to the apprehension expressed by the BJP and the CPI (M) that the opposition candidates would again be prevented from filing nominations, Banerjee said no such things would happen. “I am giving you my number. If CPM, and BJP can’t file nominations, I will process it for them,” he reiterated at a public meeting on Saturday.

Many, however, point out that the problem lies in the assertion. “Who is he (Banerjee) to give such assurance,” asked BJP leader and MP Raju Bista. For long, successive ruling dispensations in the state have made the party an extension of the government. Banerjee’s assertion in a way only reinforces it.

The delivery mechanism in the state since the days of Left Front rule is largely under the party control. The alleged “cut money” culture among the grassroots leaders of the TMC is the result of this blurring of lines between the government and the ruling party.

That makes the party supreme over all other social institutions like family, kinship, religion, caste etc. Social scientists have coined the term “party society” for this overwhelming control of the party in every aspect of life, particularly in rural Bengal. Naturally, any challenge to this cosy set-up is violently resisted.