West Bengal: Four-member MHA team calls on Guv to assess reports of widespread violence

Taking to his twitter handle, Dhankhar said, “Four member MHA team led by Govind Mohan, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India called on the West Bengal Governor today at 10 am at Raj Bhawan, Kolkata.”

“The MHA team was with the Governor for over an hour,” Mr Dhankhar added.

The four-member team of the Home Ministry arrived in the state on Thursday to take stock of post-election violence.

The members of the team held a meeting with senior officials of the State government at the State Secretariat ‘Nabanna Buildings’. They are likely to visit violence-affected areas.

Earlier, MHA has sought a detailed report on the violence by the Bengal administration and cited that they have not received any update yet.

The development comes a day after Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the State for the third consecutive term. Soon after being sworn in, Banerjee urged all political parties to refrain from violence.

Violence has been reported in several parts of West Bengal after the results of the Assembly elections declared on May 2.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that TMC-backed goons have killed a number of its workers, attacked its women members, vandalised houses, looted shops of its members, and ransacked its offices.

Claiming that at least 14 BJP workers were killed and nearly one lakh people fled their homes in post-poll violence in West Bengal, party president J P Nadda alleged on Wednesday that the chief minister's silence speaks of her involvement.

However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected the charges, saying violence and clashes were taking place in those areas where the BJP candidates emerged victorious in the election.

She had asked people on Sunday to show restraint and not indulge in any kind of violence.

BanerjeeThursday accused some Union ministers of trying to instigate riots in the state after the BJP’s defeat in the Assembly election on the pretext of visiting saffron party workers injured in the post-poll violence.

She also asked the BJP not to create unrest and accept the fact that it had lost the election. Speaking at Nabanna, the state secretariat, she said, “Political rallies have been banned due to the Covid-19 pandemic here, so I don’t know why some Central ministers are unnecessarily visiting villages and trying to provoke riots.”

“I request them not to worsen the situation through their provocation. I ask the BJP to show restraint, accept the mandate. This is happening as they haven’t been able to accept the people’s verdict,” the chief minister added.

Taking cognizance of the situation, Ms Banerjee on Wednesday transferred 30 top officers, including DGP P Nirajnayan, in her first action after being sworn in again as Chief Minister, warning that violence of any kind will not be tolerated.