Lok Sabha Elections 2024| Calcutta High Court expresses concern over post-poll violence allegations in Bengal

Kolkata: Expressing concern over alleged post-poll violence in certain areas of West Bengal following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday issued a directive allowing affected people to submit complaints to the state's Director General of Police (DGP) via email.

The order came following a petition in the high court seeking direction to police to ensure protection to opposition party workers in the wake of alleged post-poll violence in some places of the state following the elections.

Stating that similar allegations had come up after the 2021 assembly elections, the court asked whether incidents of post-poll violence happened in any other state.

Expressing dismay at reports of post-poll violence following the general elections, the court emphasised the state's responsibility to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

A division bench comprising justices Kausik Chanda and Apurba Sinha Roy directed that complaints can be sent to the DGP by email by persons who are allegedly affected by incidents of post-poll violence. If the complaint indicated a cognizable offence, the DGP would forward it to the relevant local police station for FIR registration.

The petitioner claimed that affected individuals were hesitant to visit local police stations to file complaints.

The court instructed the DGP to provide a report within 10 days detailing the number of complaints received, FIRs registered, and actions taken.

State counsels argued that the incidents mentioned by the petitioner might not be directly linked to the elections.

Following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha election process, the Election Commission decided to maintain a substantial presence of central forces in the state for some more time.

In August 2021, a five-judge bench of the high court had ordered a CBI probe into all cases of alleged murder and crimes against women, including rape or attempted rape, related to post-election violence in West Bengal following the state assembly elections.

The bench, in response to PILs seeking an independent probe into alleged violence following the assembly elections, had also ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three IPS officers of the West Bengal cadre to oversee investigations into all other cases.

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