By Debasish Chakraborty
Peoples Democracy, October 11, 2015
Kolkata: ‘DACOITY
in Daylight’, ‘Blood on the streets as
Bengal goes to the polls in civic elections’, ‘Hide, Didi, Hide’, ‘ Unabated
Lumpenraj’, ‘Elders stand up to goons of Trinamool in Bidhannagar’- these are
some of the headlines in leading newspapers on October 4. They were reporting
polls in three Corporations in West Bengal the day before. Paragraphs after paragraphs
were written how the armed gangs of the ruling party practically invaded
localities, particularly in Bidhannagar, and captured booths after fierce
attacks on voters.
All elections, including
Pachayat elections in 2013, Lok Sabha
elections in 2014, Municipalities polls including Kolkata Corporation in April
this year were marred by widespread rigging, booth capturing and violence.
Readers of Peoples Democracy would remember horrible facts of how TMC captured
hundreds of booths in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas in particular in April. In
many areas, the ruling party candidate got even 98 percent of the polled votes!
Elections in Bengal have become farce to a degree never imagined in any place
in the country.
The apprehension was there
this time too when Bidhannagar, Asansol and Bali (as newly added part of Howrah
Corporation) went to polls. In Bidhannagar, Left Front candidates were
threatened, some of them were forced to remain indoors throughout the campaign
period. Left activists were attacked, campaign materials destroyed. Three days
before the elections, gangs of TMC activists, mostly rowdies were brought into
Bidhannagar from different areas. They were kept in government-owned stadium,
lodges and hotels. They were brought in broad daylight in buses and cars.
Nothing was done to ensure peaceful polling despite repeated appeals to
administration. In fact, police was accomplice to the whole design.
On the polling day, these
gangs began to take control from the morning. They began to beat up Left polling
agents, chasing away voters, thrashing residents near polling booths, roaming
in gangs and converting the whole municipality area into a terror zone. The
people of the state were shocked to watch this blatant and violent attack on
democracy in television from the morning. Scores were injured, including
elderly voters and women who dared to stand in the queue.
By 10 am, it was clear that an
unprecedented rigging was taking place in Bidhannagar. In most wards,
opposition agents or supporters were chased away. Roads were deserted and
outsiders were on rampage with the help of the police. The wrath turned towards
the media persons covering these scenes. One after another journalist was
attacked; many of them were beaten up severely. Altogether 20 journalists and
photographers from television and print media were attacked. Some of them had
to be hospitalised. Women journalists were threatened of dire consequences
including rape. Cameras were destroyed. The attacks were led by the TMC MLAs.
Never before had such a large scale attack on media happened anywhere in the
country. The real face of Mamata Banerjee rule was thoroughly exposed to the
entire nation.
Meanwhile in Asansol, many
booths were captured, though the resistance was far more intense in Raniganj,
Jamuria and Asansol city. Coal mafias led attacks there with connivance from
police. In Bali, people were chased away from booths and no semblance of election
was witnessed.
Only exception was Siliguri
Mahakuma Parishad, where three tier panchayats went to polls. United vigil from
the people forced the ruling party hoodlums to back away and a peaceful voting
took place there.
WAVES OF PROTEST
The ferocious attack on
democratic rights of the people shattered the conscience of the state and wide
protests took place. The Left Front demanded a re-poll in three Corporations.
Immediate sit-in in front of the state election commission had started. The Left
front also gave a call for Bidhannagar Bandh on October 5, which was withdrawn
only after state election commissioner declared deferment of counting for an
indefinite period.
More farcical incidents were
in store, though. After the postponement of the counting, TMC activists led by
senior state ministers stormed the state election commission’s office. The
election commissioner Sushanta Ranjan Upadhyay proved himself a loyal follower
of the chief minister throughout his tenure and never exercised the legal
powers to protect the sanctity of free and fair elections. He was widely
criticised as a ‘stooge’ of the ruling party. However, with widespread
criticism from all quarters, the election commissioner tried to deflect the
anger in a limited manner. Even that was not permitted and senior ministers
threatened him with dire consequences. The election commissioner was forced to
first rescind his order and then resign altogether. He put in his papers to the
governor and within hours the transport secretary of the state was appointed as
new commissioner, simultaneously holding both the posts. Till the filing of
this report, the entire episode remains undecided.
The state rose in protest.
Rallies and protest marches took place in all corners of the state against the
murder of democracy. The media persons took out a huge procession in Kolkata
and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. Renowned intellectuals issued a
strong statement condemning the attack on democracy. Signatories included
Mrinal Sen, Soumitra Chatterjee, poet Sankha Ghosh, film directors Srijit
Mukherjee, Aparna Sen, actor Abir Chatterjee and former state election
commissioner Mira Pande.
A WEEK OF AUTHORITARIAN
BRUTALITY
In fact, the first week of
October has exposed the authoritarian nature of the TMC regime in a brutal
form. Nearly 300 Left activists were injured, many of them severely, when
police attacked a rally in Kolkata on October 1. Police brutally charged batons
on the rally which was proceeding towards Kolkata police headquarters,
protesting the deteriorating law and order in the city and hundreds of false
cases. The rally was attacked nearly a kilometre away from the police
headquarters at Lalbazar. Police was determined to spill blood and attacked the
marchers without any provocation and warning.
CPI(M) Central Committee
member and CITU state secretary Dipak Dasgupta, Polit Bureau member Md Salim,
Party state committee member Manab Mukherjee, Rupa Bagchi, senior RSP leader
Sukumar Ghosh and front ranking leaders
of Kolkata district were among those injured. Many were hospitalised. Many of
them were hit on the head. CPI(M) activist Bishwanath Kundu was grievously
injured and he had to go through an emergency brain operation.
Lalbazar march was organised
by the Left Front in Kolkata. Processions started from three points. Senior
Left Front leaders like Biman Basu and Suryakanta Misra led these processions.
Thousands of people marched towards Lalbazar. At a point, police suddenly
charged towards the rally. They began lathicharge without any provocation. Left
leaders tried to persuade them to restrain but without any effect. Even after
the first attack, the protesters refused to turn back and then came the second
spur of attack. Large police force along with the RAF was used in this attack.
Women protesters were beaten up by police too. Many senior and aged protesters
were mercilessly beaten. The campaign vehicle of the Left Front was vandalised
by the police.
A delegation of Left leaders,
meanwhile was scheduled to submit memorandum to the police commissioner. But
they refused doing so, protesting the brutal attack. Suryakanta Misra and other
leaders rushed to the spot and a road blockade started. It continued for hours.
CPI(M) general secretary
Sitaram Yechury condemned this barbaric attack in a huge rally in Mathurapur on
October 2. While addressing the public meeting in connection with the SFI state
conference, Yechury warned the ruling party that such attacks on democratic
movements in 1970s preceded the formation of the Left Front government in the
state. The people of West Bengal would never allow such brutality and would
respond in a fitting manner.
On October 4, thousands of
people participated in a protest march in Kolkata against the police brutality
and rigging in the civic polls.
