[WB Panchayat Polls] Calcutta HC seeks report on alleged violence during polls

The Calcutta HC on Monday directed that the Inspector General, B.S.F., Nodal Officer who had been appointed for the deployment of Central Forces to file a report regarding the violence which took place in various booths during the election on 8 July 2023.

A division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya also directed the State to provide the best treatment in the Government hospitals to all the injured victims.

“However, if in the opinion of the treating doctors, the injured victims require more special care, which is not available in those medical centres, necessary arrangements be immediately made for transferring those injured victims to bigger hospitals for immediate medical treatment, care and assistance,” the bench added.

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Through the petition, he requested a Court-monitored probe by an independent agency into the alleged incident which had resulted in the death of several persons.

He also requested the court to direct the Central agency to investigate the complaints regarding the complaints of death received by citizens, further also to give adequate compensation to the family members of the deceased and injured persons by the respondent authorities.

Through his petition, Chowdhury also prayed for the deployment of adequate Central forces in around the counting centres surrounding 100 meters of the counting centres.

The counsel appearing for State Election Commission submitted that today 696 seats have been ordered for re-poll and polling is going on as per the instructions received, the polling is peaceful in all the 696 polling stations.

He also highlighted that one company of the Central Forces along with the State Armed Police Forces had been deployed for each 339 counting centres.

The bench with regard to the demand for the deployment of central forces held that prayer regarding the deployment of Central forces cannot be considered in this writ petition as it is already being dealt with in other matters.

With regard to the people who lost their lives, the court directed to register the FIRs and to conduct the post mortem which should be videographed.

While dealing with the request to conduct an independent inquiry under the monitoring of the court, the court stated that the immediate aspect is to be addressed is with regard to the medical treatment that needed to be offered to the persons, who are being injured due to the alleged violence, which took place on the date of polling which is on 8 July 2023.

The court also issued directions to produce a man identified as Dhiraj Hela who was carrying a pistol in his hand and whose photograph had been widely published.

The matter is listed on July 12, 2023.

Case Title: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury V. The West Bengal State Election Commission & Ors