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Violence and West Bengal traditionally go hand in hand. Thus, the violent agitation witnessed in Beldanga of the Murshidabad district was no big deal, more so since the state Assembly elections are just round the corner. What was shocking was the attack on journalists deployed to cover the protest. Soma Maity, a woman journalist of Zee 24 Ghanta, and her cameraman were chased for over a kilometre and brutally assaulted for their crime of covering the news. And it was not an isolated instance. The next day, ABP Ananda reporter Prathapratim Ghosh and cameraman Ujjwal Ghosh were targeted by the murderous mob.
Police inaction and erosion of law and order
Law and order are a state subject under the Indian Constitution. The West Bengal Police were deployed in the troubled area. Unfortunately, either the state police, under instructions from higher-ups, were reluctant to intervene, or they have simply forgotten their primary duty over the past 15 years since the Trinamool Congress has been in power.
Roots of political violence
The rot started long before the Trinamool Congress took over the reins of the state. It can be traced back to the 34 years of the Left Front rule. Hoodlums and lumpen elements started ruling the streets as they were supposed to be the Left cadre. Protest and political activities were silenced, often through broad daylight murders, to instil fear. It was not the popularity of the Left Front but this fear factor that enabled them to rule the state for so long.
Elections used to be held, but they would be rigged by these cadres through booth capturing and bogus voting. West Bengal probably was the only state where the voter turnout recorded was invariably and unbelievably high, ranging between 85 and 95 per cent, which, compared to any other state of India, was astonishingly high.
Trinamool Congress adopted an eye-for-an-eye, a tooth-for-a-tooth approach to tackle these Left mobsters, often paying with the lives of its workers, especially during elections. It took the party over a decade to finally reach out to the people and turn the tables on the Left Front in the 2011 elections.
From riding to fearing the tiger
However, as the saying goes, it is easier to ride a tiger than dismount. Mamata Banerjee remained a mute witness as a new set of ruffians, claiming to be the Trinamool cadre, started ruling the streets. Nothing changed in the state except the rulers.
Illegal immigrants from across West Bengal’s porous international border with Bangladesh were welcomed with open arms and given protection so long as they voted for a particular political party. The constituencies near the Bangladesh border witnessed a huge surge in the number of registered voters.
Voter roll revision and rising tensions
The Election Commission’s decision to extend the SIR, that is, the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, to West Bengal, created fear among the powers that be in the state and among their cadres who enjoyed full freedom with no police action against them. Nearly six million names have been removed from the draft electoral rolls in the state, which accounts for approximately 7.5 per cent of West Bengal’s registered voters compared to the rolls of the 2024 general elections.
It is no big guess that the majority who have been disenfranchised belong to the Muslim community, especially the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. And here lies the main reason why violent protests erupted in Beldanga.
One such local resident, who had migrated to Jharkhand to work as a street vendor, was found hanging in his room. The Jharkhand police are yet to determine if it was a murder or a case of suicide. His dead body was brought home, and instantly, violence erupted in which these four journalists of two different news channels were assaulted.
Muted response from the state
The response of the Mamata Banerjee government to this has been muted, not going beyond appeals to maintain communal harmony and warnings that such acts would lead to polarisation of voters and would benefit the BJP. It failed to admit its laxity or unwillingness to deal with protests.
Trinamool was afraid of dismounting the tiger, as dealing with these protesters would have required the use of force, which carries the risk of Muslim voters getting angry with the government. And this is the reason why the state government did not seek the deployment of central forces in the state and left the matter in the hands of the local police.
Warning signs ahead of elections
This violence may not be the last such incident, given the communally and politically charged atmosphere in the poll-bound state. Any spark or rumour is enough to ignite a huge fire in the run-up to the March–April elections. Notwithstanding such attacks and assaults, journalists would be required to cover all news as it unfolds from the ground.
The larger question remains: why were the journalists attacked? Was it a forewarning to keep away and not report the truth when the elections are held and more violence is witnessed? One feels it was a signal to the media to keep away or shut their eyes to the attempts to rig the forthcoming elections. The Mamata Banerjee government and her cadres would do well to remember that silencing and intimidating journalists may not automatically get them a fourth term in office.
Ajay Jha is a senior journalist, author and political commentator.
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