It is an election season and West Bengal is in the news for all the wrong reasons. There is violence. And more violence. Phase after phase, rally after rally, week after week. The state sends 42 MPs to the Lok Sabha and this time, election to these is being held in seven phases. Every phase has had its own share of headlines for violence that was unleashed on and around the polling day. Murders, clashes, stonepelting, lathicharge, firing, arson, you name it and some corner of West Bengal witnessed it in this election season. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Trinamool Congress and the Left parties have been accusing each other of attacking and murdering their workers and supporters. This cycle of accusations and counter-accusations did not come up all of a sudden. But in the immediate context, it started in the run-up to the panchayat elections that were held in West Bengal last year. Media reports suggest that nearly 50 people died during these elections. When the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal was accused of having failed to curb election-time violence last year, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien in a tweet said: "To all 'newborn' experts on Bengal #PanchayatElections in State have a history. 400 killed in poll violence in 1990s in CPI(M) rule. 2003: 40 dead. Every death is a tragedy. Now closer to normal than earlier times. Yes, few dozen incidents. Say, 40 out of 58,000 booths. What's %age? (sic)." To all 'newborn' experts on Bengal #PanchayatElections in State have a history. 400 killed in poll violence in 1990s in CPIM rule. 2003: 40 dead.Every death is a tragedy. Now closer to normal than earlier times.Yes, few dozen incidents. Say,40 out of 58000 booths. What's %age ? Derek O'Brien | ’ (@derekobrienmp) May 14, 2018 On Tuesday, BJP president Amit Shah's rally in Kolkata was marred by violence as clashes broke out between TMC and BJP workers. What worsened the situation (by hurting cultural sentiments) was that a bust of Bengal icon Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised in the mayhem. But this election season has seen graver violence. On February 10, sitting TMC MLA from Krishnaganj, Satyajit Biswas, was shot dead from point-blank range in West Bengal's Nadia district. The TMC held BJP responsible for this murder, while the BJP rubbished it saying Biswas was probably killed due to infighting in TMC. On March 28, a BJP leader's brother was allegedly murdered in Malda district. The BJP accused the TMC for this. The past one year was witness to such political violence where workers/supporters of TMC, BJP, Congress and the Left were attacked or killed in the state. The victims in these cases were mostly ground-level workers who were students, teachers, labourers, farmers, agricultural workers and small shopkeepers. But is election-time violence new to the political fabric of West Bengal? WHAT DATA & HISTORY SHOW Election Commission of India's reports on past Lok Sabha elections and annual reports of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that West Bengal and poll-related violence go hand in hand. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, a total of 16 political workers were killed across India in poll-related violence. West Bengal had the highest share of these deaths as 44 per cent (i.e. seven deaths) of them were reported in the state. When it comes to injuries, the Election Commission report shows that 2,008 political workers and 1,354 onlookers were injured in the violence during the 2014 general elections. Of the 2,008 political workers who were injured, 1,298 (i.e. 64 per cent) were in West Bengal. The victims in these cases are mostly ordinary people: students, teachers, labourers, farmers, agricultural workers and small shopkeepers. Besides this, all the 1,354 onlookers who were injured in poll-related violence were from West Bengal. Reports of the National Crime Records Bureau reveal that in the 18 years between 1999 and 2016, on an average West Bengal witnessed 20 political murders every year. The highest was in 2009 when 50 murders were motivated by political reasons. This was followed by 2000, 2010 and 2011, each of which saw 38 political murders. In August 2009, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-CPI(M)-released a pamphlet in which it accused the Trinamool Congress of having murdered 62 of its supporters between March 2 and July 21 that year. Such allegations have routinely been levelled by all major political parties in West Bengal against each other. But the history of political violence in West Bengal stretches to an era far beyond the past one decade. With the emergence of Mamata Banerjee and more recently of the BJP, it may today appear that the violence in West Bengal is between workers/supporters of TMC and BJP, with occasional instances involving Left parties. Back in the 1980s and 90s, when neither the TMC nor the BJP was anywhere in Bengal’s political spectrum, it was the Left and the Congress who were often at loggerheads. In 1989, the then Communist chief minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu presented some figures in the state assembly. His figures, as reported in a May 1989 report of India Today magazine, revealed that at least 86 political workers were killed in inter-and-intra-party clashes in West Bengal in 1988-89. Read India Today report from 1989: West Bengal witnesses rise in political killings "Of them, said Basu, 34 belonged to the CPI(M), 19 to the Congress(I), two to the Forward Bloc, seven to the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the rest to other political parties and organisations," the 1989 report said. Back then, Congress leaders from West Bengal had submitted a memorandum to the President to impose President’s Rule in the state owing to rampant political murders of its workers, allegedly at the behest of the CPI(M). Congress’s memorandum claimed that 26 political murders were carried out in West Bengal within the first 50 days of 1989. The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had reportedly declared that "life has become unsafe in Bengal". 2009 LEFT GOVT, 2014 TMC GOVT: DID BENGAL CHANGE DURING POLLS? Data also shows that poll-related violence in West Bengal is not exclusively a product of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress's eight-year rule in the state. The state has weathered bouts of similar violence in the past too. For instance, the 2009 Lok Sabha election was held at a time when West Bengal was ruled by a Communist government. In this election, a total of 5,315 poll-time offences were registered in the country. Of these, 18 per cent (i.e. 963) were registered in West Bengal. In 2014, when Mamata Banerjee was the state chief minister, 931 election-time offences were registered in the state. The overall number of such offences in the country was 7,787. Thus, while there wasn't a major change in the number of registered offences in West Bengal between the two regimes, the state's share in the national figure declined. The Election Commission report does not categorise violent and non-violent offences separately. PECULIAR FEATURE OF BENGAL A feature that is peculiar to poll-time offences in West Bengal in the past two Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2009) is that while most states primarily witness these offences before and on the polling day, in the case of West Bengal it seems these offences increased in the post-poll period. The all-India data on offences recorded during election period in 2009 and 2014 show that most of the offences (65 per cent in 2009 and 74 per cent in 2014) were recorded in the pre-poll period. This was followed by offences on polling day and the least number of offences recorded were in the post-poll period. ALSO READ | In Mamata Banerjee vs Narendra Modi fight, why BJP is so combative in Bengal this Lok Sabha election But in the case of West Bengal, at least 61 per cent election-period offences were recorded in the post-poll period (i.e. once voting was over) in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. In 2014 Lok Sabha election, the figure was 44.68 per cent for post-poll and 40 per cent for pre-poll offences that were recorded. In 2014, West Bengal had the highest number of polling stations that were classified as 'critical' by the Election Commission.<doc-sep>Violence continues to mar in West Bengal as stones pelted in West Bengal's Ghatal. The villagers allegedly pelted stones and bricks at security forces and other villagers. Some villagers have reportedly been injured. Watch!<doc-sep>General elections 2019: Violence broke out during a roadshow by BJP chief Amit Shah in Kolkata BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday accused West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress of indulging in violence in the state and alleged that the Election Commission has been a "mute spectator". The Election Commission will hold a review meeting with observers and Kolkata chief electoral officers for the last phase of Lok Sabha polls on May 19. The review meeting, to be held via video conference, comes a day after BJP and Trinamool Congress workers fought pitched battles on streets of Kolkata during a massive road show by saffron party president Amit Shah. The violence started on Tuesday evening at the gates of Calcutta University. Some students in the campus allegedly shouted anti-BJP slogans and BJP supporters rushed at them with rods. Policemen stepped in to prevent a clash. Here are the live updates: May 15, 2019 21:08 (IST) The campaign for the last round of voting in Bengal has been cut short by the Election Commission after violence at BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow on Tuesday evening. For the first time, the powerful election body has used Article 324 of the Constitution, which gives it the powers of "superintendence, direction and control of elections". May 15, 2019 17:13 (IST) Amit Shah is a liar. He is a puke worthy liar: Derek O'Brien May 15, 2019 14:27 (IST) Here are the highlights of Derek O'Brien's address: Today is the saddest press conference we have held. Saddest for all of us to see the streets of Kolkata, there is anger and there is shock. The president of the BJP does what he does with his goons, who he hired from outside Bengal. What happened yesterday hurt the very ethos of Bengal. Just look at the pictures, what else can I say, what else can I do. You want to do a procession, please do that. Anyone can come and hold processions, but stick to that. Don't bring outside goons. Look at these videos. These are authentic videos, we are putting it on record and we will be taking them to the Election Commission this afternoon. You have all seen what is happening in this video and what happened yesterday. This video establishes that not only did they do all this with hired goons, but it also proves that Amit Shah is a liar. Vidyasagar was a social activist, a reformer, a writer. He was a leader of Bengal's Renaissance. The media is trying to verify the authenticity of tapes, where slogans can be heard "Vidyasagar shesh, where is the josh?" (Vidyasagar finished, where is the josh?) We are convinced that the central forces are in hand-in-glove with the BJP. Central forces are on the same page with the BJP. People in uniform you see here (in photos)... these people pretend by wearing uniform... you see the same people sitting elsewhere in plain clothes... These people (forces) are also constantly telling people "BJP ko vote do, BJP ko vote do"... they are working for the BJP May 15, 2019 14:21 (IST) Trinamool Congress Spokesperson Derek O'Brien on desecration of Vidyasagar statue in Kolkata May 15, 2019 12:58 (IST) After Violence At Amit Shah Rally, Trinamool Leaders Change Profile Pics Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, a name every Bengali has grown up with, has been dragged into the acrimonious and violence-hit national election campaign in West Bengal. A day after a statue of the iconic 19th century reformer was vandalized in clashes following BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata, many Trinamool handles on Twitter had the image of Vidyasagar. May 15, 2019 11:22 (IST) Here are the highlights of Amit Shah's address: Six phases of elections are over and there have been no incidents of violence anywhere except West Bengal. I want to tell Mamata Banerjee that she is fighting on 42 seats, BJP is fighting in all the states. If only Bengal is facing violence, Trinamool is to be blamed for it. PM Modi's posters have been torn, My posters were torn, yet BJP workers were calm. The roadshow started and support was overwhelming. There were so many people and it was a peacefully rally. On Vidyasagar statue allegation, we were outside. Who went inside to break the statue? TMC workers were inside. So who broke it? It's a conspiracy by TMC to gain sympathy The gate of the room was never broken The sort of public support we have seen in Bengal for the BJP shows what people want. 60 political activists have been killed in Panchayat polls in Bengal. Nowhere else has such a thing has happened. I also want to say that Election Commissioner has turned into a mute spectator. They should actively intervene We don't care if the opposition parties want to form a federal front to choose a leader of opposition I just want to say if CRPF was not there, I could not have survived the violence If Mamata Banerjee has nothing to hide, a probe should be ordered into the violence. This is not violence, This is an attack. May 15, 2019 11:19 (IST) BJP chief Amit Shah addresses media on violence that broke out in Kolkata yesterday during his roadshow May 15, 2019 11:18 (IST) BJP-Trinamool Battle After Iconic Statue Vandalised In Kolkata Mamata Banerjee pledged a reply to what she call a "huge shame" as her party men added Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's image to their Twitter accounts<doc-sep>
What West Bengal is witnessing today, the rest of India already witnessed yesterday. The posit may sound a little trite, but is, sadly, true What West Bengal is witnessing today, the rest of India already witnessed yesterday. The posit may sound a little trite, but is, sadly, true. While poll violence has become a thing of the past even in the Hindi belt — particularly Bihar, courtesy Nitish Kumar — West Bengal has accepted it as a sole tool to fight elections. The party in power in Bengal — which happens to be the Trinamool Congress — has always used muscle power and cunning manipulation to protect its turf. One thing is evident: Although political leaders are demonstrating a desperation to either grab power or to cling on to it all over the country, party workers are not taking part in the all-time low in the war of words that has divided India asunder. Neither are party workers getting involved in large-scale violence as they are in Bengal. The TMC is still not allowing voters in the districts to cast their votes — despite the presence of Central security forces — or leaders of rival parties to move freely in the state, or even stay and hold party meetings in hotels in Kolkata. It's as if rules that govern electioneering and elections in the rest of India do not apply in Bengal. The reason: The stakes are unusually high for the two major contenders. The TMC cannot afford to let the BJP make inroads into Bengal, since the TMC's only seat of power is in Bengal. Out of power in the state, the party will have no relevance, not only in Bengal but in the rest of India too. And without the revenue that comes from the state, there's no saying whether the party will exist at all. In a televised district administrative meeting sometime ago, Mamata Banerjee openly chided a local TMC leader for cornering the largesse. "Don't have everything alone. Share it with others," she said. The party has already lost its 'rebel' character, which ironically even the financially and strategically superior Left establishment had not been able to destroy. The BJP, on the other hand, desperately needs to have a toehold in Bengal. In spite of its presence in the North, the Northeast and the West, it has hardly been able to make itself felt in West Bengal. But this time, as a myriad experts have already pointed out, it needs seats from Bengal for its 'Plan B' — if Uttar Pradesh disappoints, extra seats are needed from Bengal to compensate. Above all, the game of one-upmanship between Mamata and Modi has pushed both parties into a political trap where indulging in violence is essential simply to keep the flock together. Things have reached such a state of affairs that even national president of the BJP, Amit Shah, was not allowed permission to hold rallies. On one occasion, the owner of the plot on which Shah was supposed to hold his rally was forced to withdraw permission. But Shah, a veteran of many battles was undaunted. What's more, desperation has reached such heights that protocol, poll ethics or political niceties are being flung to the wayside. The 'why' lies in the way the parties — right from the CPM in its heyday — conduct themselves when in power. In fact, it's the Left that showed the way by blurring the thin line between political leadership and the government. During the last few years of CPM rule in Bengal, the party had become such an all-powerful entity that the government, its bureaucrats and even ministers had no other option but to surrender before the party. It made a whole lot of middle-level and local leaders immensely powerful and they, in turn, created a huge class of beneficiaries, whose existence depended on the party being in power. The result is history. During the Singur and Nandigram uprisings, local leaders forced the party and, of course, the government to resort to violence against common people and persistently misled the government and even their own senior leadership. The reason, revealed later in the CPM's assessment report — as a very senior CPM leader admitted to this writer — was that the local chieftains wanted to paint a picture that would keep the Kolkata-based apparatchiks happy — who never made any serious attempts to go to the grassroots and find out for themselves what was actually happening.