The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has so far registered 34 FIRs in connection with the West Bengal post-poll violence investigation. According to the FIRs uploaded to the CBI website, the central agency has found merit in at least ten of these FIRs which declare unequivocally that the post-election violence that had erupted following the TMC’s victory in the assembly elections was politically motivated. Moreover, at least in 8 out of these 10 FIRs, names of members of the state’s ruling dispensation are mentioned as the perpetrators.
BJP wrokers dragged to a Muslim area and assaulted by TMC goons
In one of the FIRs uploaded on the CBI website, number RC0562021S0005, dated August 25, 2021, the complainant named Ayan Mandal clearly stated that on August 14, 2021, at around 3 pm in the afternoon, 8 TMC goons, namely Abul Sekh, Alamgir Sekh, Ujjal Ghosh and others, all residents of Hridaypur, Chapra in Nadia, West Bengal, dragged him and his brother to a Muslim locality where they were assaulted brutally with sticks and iron rods. The victim says they were singled out because they were known BJP supporters.
Join TMC or we will make your life hell
Complainant Bandana Khetrapal in an FIR number RC0562021S0004 dated August 25, 2021, narrated how her 26-year-old son Kush Khetrapal fell prey to the atrocities of the TMC goons as a result of his affirmation towards BJP. Bandana Khetrapal said that her son, who worked in a hotel in Mirzapur was often accosted by TMC workers namely Kanan Khetrapal, Sukumar and Dilip Khetrapal, when the former returned from work. They had threatened him to join TMC or face dire consequences.
Bandana Khetrapal recalled how her now-deceased son, had told her that the trio often stopped in on his way back home and hit him with shoes and slippers, threatening him to join TMC. They told Bandana’s son that if he did not join TMC they would make his life hell. They would forcefully make him drink alcohol and drown him in a pond. Bandana recalled how her son would regularly return home crying, afraid that his life was in danger.
Following the TMC’s victory in the assembly elections, the torture only increased. On May 6, the aforementioned TMC workers along with some others forcefully took Bandana Khetrapal’s son to their Raibhagini party office and killed him. Two days later on May 8, at around 5 pm, Kush’s body was found lying near the Baishtam pond, behind a Ganesha idol. The body had various stab marks on his body read the FIR.
They said they would finish Hinduism: Mother of deacased BJP supporter wrote in her WB post-poll violence FIR
According to the FIR number RC0562021S0012 dated August 26, 2021, filed by the complainant Tumpa Majhi, five TMC goons (all names are registered in the FIR) attacked her house with iron rods, weapons, bombs in a pre-planned manner. They ransacked the house and abducted her 22-year-old son. The TMC goons brutally assaulted Tumpa Majhi’s son. Soaked in blood, Balram Majhi fell to the ground but the accused kept attacking him.
Later, when the accused learnt that police was approaching the spot they fled hurriedly. “They threatened us that they would finish our Hinduism and fled away”, alleged Tumpa Majhi. “We were not allowed to leave the village late at night. My injured son was transferred to BIMS Hospital in Burdwan the same day, where he died at around 10 pm”.
The victim’s mother further accused the TMC goons of also causing financial damage to the tune of Rs 10 lakhs.
TMC goons killed the wife as they were unable to find her husband and son
According to the FIR number RC0562021S0017 dated August 27, 2021, filed by complainant Mamoni Khetrapal TMC goons came looking for her neighbour Anil Khetrapal and his son on May 3. When they could not find the father-son duo, the TMC goons brutally assaulted his wife with a sharp weapon. The victim was rushed to Jamalpur hospital in Bardhaman, West Bengal, where she was declared brought dead.
According to the FIR filed by complainant Fagal Mandi, his brother was killed on May 5, 2021, because of his political inclination towards a particular party.
The goons strangulated and fractured his testis to confirm he was dead: Brother of victim of Bengal post-poll violence
In another FIR filed by one Dinanath Kirtaniya, the complainant has said that all his family members are associated with BJP. Nine TMC goons (names mentioned in the FIR) threatened his brother and family members not to work for BJP. On April 17th again the accused rounded up his brother. They told him that he would be killed since he did not pay heed to their warning and left BJP. “You are still working for the BJP, we will kill you today”, the FIR quotes the TMC goons a telling Dinanath Kirtaniya’s brother.
That very night, when Dinanath’s brother went out of the house, he was attacked. He was first, as per plans, hit by a heavy blunt object. To confirm he was dead the TMC goons then strangulated his throat and fractured his testis, the brother of the deceased BJP worker detailed the harrowing incident in his complaint. The BJP worker died on the spot.
They killed him for being associated with the BJP
One Sufal Adhikari filed an FIR in which he accused 16 TMC miscreants of killing his nephew, Haran Adhikari and brutally assaulting a few others for their political affinity. He said that the TMC workers attacked Haran with bricks and shovels in front of the house of one Akhtar Molla. Haran Adhikari succumbed to his injuries while others were battling for their lives.
Today we have killed one, tomorrow we will kill all
One Marufa Bibi, a resident of Duttapukur in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas, registered a complaint in which she said that miscreants attacked her husband and other family members when they had gone to the field on May 3, at around 5.30 am. The miscreants surrounded the victims and started beating them up.
When Marufa Bibi’s husband tried to escape they hurled a bomb at him, as a result of which his right hand was torn and rib bones raptured. Marufa Bibi’s husband died on the spot. While fleeing the goons told them: “Today we have killed one, tomorrow we will kill all the members of your family”.
Post-poll violence in West Bengal
Umpteen number of violence against political opponents have been reported from the state. In an overwhelming number of such incidents, the victims have been BJP supporters and workers, while the accused were said to be the supporters of the TMC party. More than a dozen BJP workers have lost their lives in the post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections.
High Court hands over the West Bengal post-poll violence case to the CBI
The CBI has taken over the investigations on the orders of a five-judge panel of the Calcutta High Court, which on August 19, tasked the agency with a court-monitored probe into the innumerable murder and rape instances reported during West Bengal’s post-poll rioting which occurred in the aftermath of West Bengal Assembly elections in the month of May 2021.
On September 6, the CBI had arrested 2 persons from the Domjur area in the state’s Howrah district in connection with West Bengal post-poll violence. With this, the total tally of CBI arrests in post-poll violence has risen to 8.
