Kolkata, May 14: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday told the Calcutta High Court that police remained passive during post-poll violence in West Bengal, while asserting that it is not a “bulldozer state”, amid ongoing demolition drives against illegal structures.
The former chief minister, who appeared for the first time before the high court to argue a case in connection with alleged violence against workers and attacks on TMC party offices following the announcement of the 2026 assembly poll results, sought urgent judicial intervention to protect the people of the state from the attackers.
This was Banerjee’s second appearance as lawyer before a court of law in recent times and the first since her party’s electoral debacle in Bengal in the hands of the BJP, the previous one being in February this year, when she had personally appeared before the Supreme Court and made submissions in the petition filed by her challenging the West Bengal SIR process.
An LLB degree holder, Banerjee, accompanied by senior Trinamool Congress leaders Chandrima Bhattacharya and Kalyan Banerjee – both lawyers – reached the high court in a lawyer’s robe to appear for a petition filed by Sirsanya Bandyopadhyay, son of Kalyan Banerjee and the party’s candidate from the Uttarpara assembly seat in the recent assembly polls.
The TMC chief submitted that at least 10 people have been killed, some 150-160 TMC party offices vandalised and around 2,000 instances of violence have taken place in the state in the aftermath of the election results.
“Out of 10 dead, six are Hindus. Please tell the police to act accordingly. They are not allowing FIRs to be lodged. In my family, 12-year-old girls are being threatened with rape,” the former CM submitted before the division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Pal.
Mamata Banerjee alleged that the situation has come to such a pass that even she isn’t able to reach police stations to file complaints, and depended on the online mode.
She also claimed that attacks have been orchestrated on fish markets in the state and meat shops.
Banerjee referred to pictures submitted to the bench, also comprising Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, and stated that women, children and members of the minority community have been specifically targeted, while party offices were “looted and captured in front of the police”.
“One Scheduled Caste family, including a 92-year-old widow, was thrown out of her house. They (BJP supporters) ransacked many residences. So many people are suffering, including general caste Hindus,” she said.
The TMC supremo lashed out at the role of the police, alleging selective activity in some cases and inertness in others.
“Everything is being done in the presence of the police. People are entitled to be heard even if you are demolishing an unauthorised structure. Criminals are taking law into their own hands. Police should prevent crime. After an incident has happened, will they not investigate? But, there is no police to do that,” she argued, adding, “Bengal is not a bulldozer state.”
Also appearing on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Kalyan Banerjee referred to the post-poll bulldozer action in central Kolkata’s 400-year-old heritage Hogg (New) Market, stating “justice by bulldozer is unknown to jurisprudence”.
“Interim order is sought to ensure peaceful return of people who were forced to leave homes due to post-poll violence. This will not prejudice anyone,” the TMC Lok Sabha MP submitted.
Urging judicial intervention with a former judge at its helm, the leader prayed that no bulldozer action should be ordered by the state without the court’s leave.
“We are living in West Bengal, not Uttar Pradesh,” Kalyan Banerjee said.
Appearing for the police, advocate Dhiraj Trivedi submitted that the list of alleged post-poll violence incidents were “vague” and lacked details about the victims or the perpetrators.
The government will have to inquire into each of these cases separately and determine whether they fall into the ‘post-poll violence’ category, he said, adding that the state would file its response by means of an affidavit.
The Hogg Market bulldozer action, for example, was not ordered by the government, the lawyer said.
It was launched by private persons, and so far nine people have been arrested in connection with the case, he informed the court.
Following a state government order, bulldozers from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation are currently in action to demolish a set of buildings in the Tiljala area of east Kolkata, which housed an illegal leather manufacturing unit where a fire killed two people and injured three others on May 12.
Upon completion of the hearing, the court reserved the interim order, stating it would be uploaded online later in the day.
Meanwhile, BJP West Bengal unit president Samik Bhattacharya called Mamata Banerjee’s allegations “baseless”, claiming that while three BJP workers have died in the hands of Trinamool-sheltered goons since the poll results were declared, the rest of the deaths were “results of TMC infighting”.
“Fact is that post-poll violence is down to a minimum in Bengal because a BJP government is now in power. We have pledged to free the state from its culture of political violence, and we are taking strict action against those, irrespective of their party colours or positions. Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah are both keeping strict vigil on the state’s post-poll scenario,” Bhattacharya said. (PTI)
