Post-Poll Violence in Bengal
Notan Kar
After the change in governmentin West Bengal, leaders and cadres of the former ruling party Trinamool Congress are being publicly pelted with eggs, harassed, and sometimes beaten up by the so-called ‘mob’ owing allegiance to BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP). Women are also not spared. Surprisingly, in most cases, no police action has been taken against the attackers. History repeats itself with more ferocity.
Egg throwing is a crime before law. It is possible to file a case by the police administration under the sections of illegal assembly, obstruction of government work and intentional injury. But the policemen are not doing it because the egg throwers are from the ruling BJP in the state.
A few days ago, the All-India General Secretary of Trinamool Congress was harassed, beaten, eggs and stones thrown at him on his way to the house of a deceased party worker in Sonarpur. The police did not provide security despite knowing his visit agenda. The incident of the assault of former MLA and minister of Krishnanagar South, Ujjwal Biswas and a woman has come to the fore in social media. The people, including several women, attacked the former MLA at his residence and harassed him, abused him in foul language, and threw eggs on him. A woman was resisting in the presence of a policeman. She was dragged out of the house and slapped. ‘Mob’ also tried to tear her clothes. She was saying, ‘I am not a thief, I am a teacher’. Then, a portion of the mob made her lie down and wrapped a white cloth around the body. What a horrible scenario emerging in Bengal day after day! The former minister had appealed to return the relief materials provided by the government. Instead, he was arrested on the charge of being a thief. A few days ago, the Trinamool candidate from Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas was forced to walk on the streets with a rope around his waist by the police. Eggs were thrown at the headmaster in Manikchak, Malda. These incidents are happening across the state almost daily in the name of ‘public anger’.
Some people say these incidents are an expression of anger of common people against corruption and oppression of the leaders and cadres of the former ruling party. In truth there is a deep political conspiracy behind it. ‘Public anger’ and ‘mob lynching’ are not same. Public outrage is an immediate issue and mob rule is a planned political issue.
The current ruling party of Bengal BJP and its mentor RSS have created a lumpen force to commit mob lynching in the name of public anger. Hitler of fascist Germany and Mussolini of Italy created such forces to commit mob rule (terror) and eliminate opposition leaders. Hitler’s regime was extremely dictatorial, authoritarian. His regime was a ’totalitarian’ state where the government controls every part of people’s lives. Hitler’s regime was a system where the common people had no rights; the entire country was run only by the will of one person and the power of military force.
A huge amount of money is said to be coming from the BJP party fund to continue the so-called mob lynching and this money is, in reality, being provided by the corporates. The corporate media is not broadcasting the real problems of the people but they are only showing the image of ‘public anger’. Just like Hitler’s regime, a dictatorial, autocratic administration is being established in the state.
The opposition parties, especially the CPM, are not really opposing these incidents. The CPM thinks that the Trinamool has removed them from the state power. While in power, the Trinamool occupied their party offices and tortured their cadres, therefore what is happening now is good as if BJP is taking revenge on behalf of them. But the CPM does not realise just how reactionary the RSS and BJP are! Once this fascist party comes to power, it is very much hard to displace them. The CPM will understand the ‘Age Ram Pare Bam’ [First Ram, Then Left] formula after a few days when they would be attacked.
The BJP RSS mob rule will come down on the minorities after some time. In Bangladesh, after the fall of Hasina government, the fundamentalists of that country did exactly the same thing. Awami League leaders and workers were tortured and killed in the name of public anger, later this public anger changed into mob rule by the fundamentalists’ lumpen forces and atrocities on the minorities started. Similarly, ‘Bangladesh’ would be repeated in West Bengal by the Hindutva fundamentalists. The working people of the state will have to stand up against the mob rule. The middle class people otherwise vocal on many distant issues look disinterested in voicing their protest against this lumpen culture. Content courtesy: The Frontier magazine, Pic courtesy: The Indian Express.
