2021 West Bengal post-poll violence

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West Bengal 2021 Post-Poll Violence

Violence broke out in parts of West Bengal after the 2021 Legislative Assembly election, which the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won for a third term. The clashes were part of a pattern of politically motivated violence that had been happening for years.

Both sides blamed each other for the bloodshed. The BJP said at least six of its workers were killed, and several TMC workers were also killed. There were reports of a TMC worker being hacked to death in Khanakul, and a BJP-supporter, Udayan Guha, was attacked in Dinhata on May 6, suffering serious injuries. Police actions followed, with FIRs and arrests, and Guha later returned to Dinhata after surgery.

There were widespread allegations of sexual violence during the post-poll violence, including cases of rape. Some of these cases reached the Supreme Court. In June and July, BJP workers and supporters faced intimidation and displacement, with hundreds allegedly fleeing to Assam for safety.

In the government’s response, Mamata Banerjee, who became chief minister for a third term in May, reinstated police officers who had been moved by the Election Commission to restore order. On May 10, a five-judge Calcutta High Court bench expressed satisfaction with how the state government was handling the situation and restoring normalcy. Protests continued in various forms, including a large TMC rally in Bhagabanpur on July 10 against the BJP.

By 2022, investigations and legal actions continued. In September 2021, BJP candidate Manas Saha died after being beaten, with the BJP calling for a CBI probe. In January 2022, the CBI rejected 21 molestation/rape cases for lack of evidence but continued to pursue 39 rape/molestation cases and 52 murder or unnatural-death cases, having filed 10 charge sheets. On January 28, 2022, seven people were sent to judicial custody for conspiring and murdering BJP worker Manik Moitra during the post-poll violence; the agency had earlier charged six people in related cases.

There were ongoing tensions, including instances of BJP members who had joined the TMC later returning to the BJP, and concerns about how political violence affected people who had to leave their homes. Some reports also linked the violence to online platforms spreading inflammatory narratives.