West Bengal Post-Poll Violence : Supreme Court To Hear Next Week Plea For Compensation & Rehabilitation Of Victims, SIT Probe

The Supreme Court will hear next week a plea seeking directions to stop/prevent the alleged State-sponsored violence in West Bengal in wake of the State Assembly elections results , as well as the constitution of an SIT to investigate the same and take appropriate action against the culprits in reported incidents.It further prays for the formation of a Commission for rehabilitation of displaced persons, compensation for loss of family members, property, livelihood, and mental and emotional agony. The matter was mentioned by Senior Advocate Pinky Anand before a Bench of Justices Vineet Saran and BR Gavai. Anand submitted that 1 lakh persons had been displaced in the violence that took place and there was a need to hear the matter. The Bench has accordingly listed the matter for next week.The petitioners are Arun Mukherjee, Debjani Halder, Prosanta Das, Paramita Dey and Bhupen Halder. As per the petition, Mukherjee and Halder are social activists, Das is a victim of post-poll violence on Kooch Behar district, Dey and Halder are advocates practicing in West Bengal whose homes and offices were destroyed by TMC workers. The plea, filed through Advocate Shruti Agarwal and drawn by Advocate Veer Vikrant Singh, submits that the Petitioners are aggrieved by the post-electoral violence in West Bengal "causing bombing, murder, gangrape, outraging of modesty of women, arson, kidnapping, loot, vandalism and destruction of public property, which led to a widespread fear and terror in the minds of ordinary residents of the State, ultimately forcing them to leave their homes". It has further been averred that the police and the State-sponsored "goons are in cahoots" as the police has been a mere spectator, allegedly discouraging and threatening victims from filing FIRs and not investigating the cases. Despite the coverage of the violence by various media platforms and suo moto cognizance taken by various government organisations and autonomous institutions, the State Government has provided no support or assistance. "The Exodus of the people in West Bengal due to state sponsored violence has posed serious humanitarian issues related to their survival, where they are forced to live in deplorable conditions, in violation of their fundamental rights enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India." In light of the above, the instant plea has been filed. Last week, the Supreme Court had issued notice on a plea seeking SIT/CBI probe into the killings of two BJP activists, allegedly at the behest of Trinamool Congress, on the day of election results.

West Bengal Post-Poll Violence : Supreme Court To Hear Next Week Plea For Compensation & Rehabilitation Of Victims, SIT Probe

Radhika Roy

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