West Bengal: Threat to Democratic Rights

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi from November 11 to 13, 2011. It took stock of the international and national situation and has issued the following statement on West Bengal Situation:

The assumption of office by the TMC-led government  in West Bengal and its actions are posing a serious threat to accepted democratic principles of governance.  The killings of opposition political activists continue  unabated.  Since the formation of the new government, 44 Left activists have been killed, thousands have been rendered homeless, hundreds have been framed in false cases and literally crores have been collected forcibly from political activists of the Left.  The forcible takeover of opposition Party and trade union offices also continues.  The latest in the round of  muzzling political freedom – and the freedom of association is the forcible stoppages of conferences of Left parties by the goons belonging to the ruling party and the involvement of the police. 

Subversion of the police has  reached a new high with the Chief Minister herself  rushing to a local police station and getting miscreants detained by the police released.  The Chief Minister, who also happens to be the Home Minister, got the Officer in-charge of the Police Station (Bhawanipur) suspended and then transferred even though this happened to be part of the South Kolkata Lok Sabha constituency which is having to a by-election. 

The powers of the panchayats are being usurped and handed over to the bureaucracy. The most obnoxious move of the state government has been to promulgate a draconian ordinance to nullify all the existing university Acts which were in place. The ordinance usurps powers of the elected senates and syndicates and concentrates them in the hands of the state government.  The elected character of university governance is replaced by nominated bodies, totally bureaucratizing the running of the university management.  Provision for elected representation of students, non-teaching employees and alumni of the institutions have been given a go by. 

Date: 13 November 2011

New Delhi.