‘Law and Order Collapsed’: TMC Seeks President’s Rule in West Bengal

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday alleged that its grassroots workers in several parts of West Bengal were facing brutal political attacks, claiming that the state’s law and order situation had collapsed and questioning why President’s Rule should not be imposed.

TMC spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien raised the issue after drawing attention to a video shared on social media by party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. O’Brien alleged that Gyananand Samanta, the party’s Bishnupur block president, was brutally assaulted by unidentified miscreants earlier this week in the presence of police personnel.

The video appeared to show a visibly injured and distressed man being assaulted before being dragged away by police. However, PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video or establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“These are clear indications that police atrocities are continuously being unleashed on our workers alongside political atrocities across the state,” O’Brien alleged.``

He further questioned whether the reported incidents warranted central intervention, saying, “Law and order in the state has collapsed. Aren’t these circumstances that call for President’s Rule in Bengal?”

O’Brien also alleged that similar circumstances in a non-BJP-ruled state would have prompted the imposition of President’s Rule, accusing the Centre of adopting a different approach towards West Bengal.

West Bengal Police has so far not issued any statement regarding the alleged assault or the claims made by the TMC.

The allegations come against the backdrop of intense political rivalry between the TMC and BJP in West Bengal. The BJP, led by Suvendu Adhikari, formed the government in the state after defeating the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC in the Assembly elections. The BJP won 207 of the 294 Assembly seats, with the election results declared on May 4 this year.

The TMC’s demand for President’s Rule is expected to intensify the political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the opposition party over allegations of violence and policing in the state.