New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee again questioned the Election Commission’s neutrality in a social media post on Thursday, accusing it of “summarily and arbitrarily” removing “more than 50 senior officials” ahead of the end April Assembly poll.
She wrote on her ‘X’ handle that the manner in which the Election Commission had singled out and targeted Bengal was unprecedented and deeply alarming.
She said that even before the formal notification of elections, more than 50 senior officials, including the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DGP, ADGs, IGs, DIGs, District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police, had been removed, calling it political interference rather than administrative action.
She added that the systematic politicisation of institutions meant to remain impartial was a direct assault on the Constitution.
She said that, at a time when a flawed SIR process was underway and over 200 lives had already been lost, the Commission’s conduct reflected bias and submission to political interests, putting the people of Bengal at risk.
Despite the nine paragraph accusation, the state’s law and order situation, especially during elections, has long been contentious. West Bengal has reportedly faced sharper challenges during polls compared to adjoining states such as Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.
While neighbouring states also see crime spikes during elections, Bengal’s intense political rivalry and border related issues have made its electoral environment particularly volatile.
One of the worst incidents in recent times occurred during the July 8, 2023, panchayat polls, when at least a dozen people were reported killed. Among them were seven supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress, two each from the BJP and CPI(M), and one from the Congress.
Similar sporadic violence was reported during the 2021 Assembly election and the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. The rape and murder of an intern at Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital in August 2024 also triggered widespread protests, with medical interns and doctors leading demonstrations across India.
Meanwhile, investigations and legal proceedings against ministers and senior Trinamool leaders in various scams, including education, cattle and coal smuggling, have drawn significant attention.
Political skirmishes, often escalating into street fights and bloodshed, have been widely reported, many stemming from internal conflicts among local Trinamool leaders.
Available data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and media reports indicate that crime trends are closely tied to political events. NCRB data up to 2023 shows Bihar leading the region in IPC registered crimes between 2021 and 2023, followed by West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Jharkhand.
West Bengal, which shares international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, has also been at the centre of debates over illegal immigration. NCRB’s 2023 data recorded the highest number of crimes involving foreign nationals in the state, 1,021 cases, mostly under the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939.
Earlier, elections in Bengal were held in multiple phases, sometimes as many as eight, to facilitate the movement of central forces and poll officials. This has now been reduced to two phases, with significant attention to law and order.
In a major decision to strengthen security arrangements ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, an initial plan has reportedly been prepared to deploy about 2,500 companies of central forces in each phase.
Route marches by central forces, quick response teams and static duties will also be implemented to ensure a transparent and peaceful voting process, poll officials have said.
(IANS)
