'Violation of Right to Life', NHRC orders spot inquiry on post-poll violence in Bengal

New Delhi, May 5: With violent and terror attacks unleashed in West Bengal post-poll results, several leaders and social organizations have come forward to raise questions against such brutality. Accordingly, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also took cognizance of the post-poll violence in West Bengal and ordered an investigation fact-finding team to conduct a spot inquiry and submit a report at the earliest, preferably within two weeks.

 

 

In a statement, the NHRC pointed out allegations of deaths of a few people in the violent incidents. "The political workers allegedly clashed with each other, party offices were torched down and some homes were ransacked & valuables also looted. District Administration & local Law & order enforcement agencies appear not to have acted to stop such violation of human rights of the affected persons," the commission said.

 

It further said, "Considering as a fit case of an alleged violation of Right to Life of the innocent citizens, the Commission has today taken suo-motu cognizance of the matter and has requested its DIG (Investigation) to constitute a team of the officers of the Investigation Division of the Commission to conduct an on the spot fact-finding investigation and to submit a report at the earliest, preferably within two weeks."

 

 

Soon after the election results were announced on May 2, West Bengal witnessed unprecedented terror in the form of widespread violence in the entire State. Within 24 hours of election results, at least a dozen of people have been reported dead in post-poll violence in the state of West Bengal, a figure that may be higher than the number of those killed during the month-long polls. Several BJP offices were vandalized by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers.

 

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) that 15-20 party goons of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked ABVP West Bengal's Kolkata office and engaged in an altercation with the activists, assaulted them, and vandalised the organization's state office. They further alleged that TMC party goons deliberately vandalized the idols of Hindu deities and freedom fighters.

 

 

Bengal wing of BJP claimed that at least six of its workers were killed across the state since the assembly results were announced. The BJP has noted that a hundred party offices and houses of BJP workers were ransacked across the state as the counting progressed, and the trends became clearer. In a tweet, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, the party's in-charge for Bengal, said its four workers were killed and over 4,000 houses ransacked in incidents of post-poll violence.