This follows recurrent violent clashes recently occurring in the North 24 Parganas district, where a sudden eruption of gang wars has claimed at least six lives during the past fortnight. The victims were mostly youths, aged between 18 and 30, some with police records. All were connected with odd jobs and low-level work available in the flourishing real estate sector in the Dum Dum-Salt Lake-Rajarhat new town area. And almost without exception, all were reportedly local Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters or workers. They usually fight among themselves, competing to secure lucrative orders for supplying building construction from builders – often to death!

There is confusion within the top TMC leadership as to how to control the deterioration in the law and order situation. The first question is, whether to acknowledge publicly that those killed are victims of a silent, vicious intra TMC gang war. In almost every area within the city of Kolkata and its outskirts, bands of unemployed youths have formed groups (syndicates in local parlance) which ‘persuade’ private house-builders or commercial builders (promoters) to buy cement, sand, stone chips, glass and other construction material from them only. Their rates range above the going market price by 10 per cent or more, adding to overhead building costs. Eventually, the flat buyer has to suffer the most, as the builders pass on the increased costs to their clients. The net result: an artificially ‘high’ real estate, where costs rise all the time.

The situation is related to the lack of jobs and employment opportunities for educated youths in West Bengal. The trend began during the tenure of the Left Front. The ruling Left parties led by the CPI(M), instead of protecting the builders and flat buyers, sided with the youths provided they ‘supported’ the Left. It was a kind of informal solution to the urban unemployment problem, according to the convoluted logic of many Left leaders.

As the late left-wing economist Biplab Dasgupta put it, there was nothing wrong in allowing street-hawkers or such syndicates to go about their work, because the ‘informal economic sector’ was growing at the fastest all over the world — never mind the encroachments, the damage to the environment, the misuse of basic water and lighting facilities and the violation of all civic laws.

The CPI(M), securely ruling West Bengal for ages, had not reckoned on the possibility of such youths changing sides overnight if the Left lost the polls. The worst happened in May 2011 and the TMC came to power with a resounding majority. And lo and behold, the majority of street hawkers, auto drivers and building syndicate members, their numbers approaching 4 to 4.5 lakhs, now all joined the TMC, without casting a backward glance at the party that had nurtured them.

With this difference that they immediately formed groups and sub groups once they joined the TMC, following different individual leaders for protection. Under the CPI(M), such elements usually reported to the local CITU trade Union bosses. Under the TMC there being no command structure, each leader was supreme in his own little patch of green grass – or so he thought and behaved accordingly. Accordingly, each autoworker or hawker enjoys the protection of his/her local TMC councilor, MLA, MP, Minister or trade union leader.

The problem is, within the TMC no love is lost between these leaders themselves. Followers of Sobhandeb Chatteree, TMC TU leader are at loggerheads with those protected by Dola Sen, who also is a TU leader. In Midnapore, followers of the mighty Subhendu Adhikary MP hate their counterparts led by TMC Secretary Mukul Roy more than CPI(M) or BJP cadres. It is no different with followers of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, MP from Barasat and Sabyasachi Dutta local MLA.

There have been much violence and gang warfare between most youth groups led by these leaders, but of late the infightings and killings in the Barasat / North 24 Parganas areas among TMC activists themselves has taken a heavy toll of life. The situation has deteriorated to the point where one Left leader said, ‘These days, the TMC needs no enemy, its own cadres will finish the party by a process of physical elimination!’

As for inner party confusion, Minister for Education Partha Chatterjee lost his temper when newsmen asked him about these developments. ‘Let us handle this, it is our problem, not yours (media’s),’ he said. On the other hand, Secretary Mukul Roy’s take was totally contradictory to what Chatterjee had said: ‘Anti-socials are killing each other; the TMC is just not involved. It is the work of CPI(M) and BJP cadres,’ according to him. He did not explain why he addressed at least two meetings on orders from his Chief Minister to help bring peace between followers of Ghosh Dastidar and Dutta – without any effect, incidentally. The violence continues.

Aware of ground realities, Mamata Banerjee even instructed the police not to care about the political affiliation of active criminals – the first time she felt it necessary to emphasise what should have been the first point of her agenda as a ruler, after three years and more of her dismal tenure! And she ordered the transfer of the N 24 Pargana’s officer to drive home her message that she wanted action.

Observers feel she has left things to drift and deteriorate for too long. In almost every case, the police have taken no action fearing to be pulled up by this or that influential TMC leader and stir up a controversy. They have acted as bystanders, allowed groups to attack and savage each other, and exhaust their fury. They have registered general diaries only as a last resort, not following up complaints.

As a CPI(M) State Committee member says, ‘The police during the TMC rule never took cognizance of our complaints even when TMC cadre killed out supporters, let alone arresting those guilty. Instead they implicated the petitioners in false charges. Now when TMC factions are fighting each other to the death, they are following the same procedure – not acting, not doing anything.’

Police officials say on condition of anonymity, that handling TMC cadres guilty of crimes is problematic, as one group is always fighting another. But all groups belong to the ruling party! ‘The Chief Minister herself had gone to the Bhowanipore thane to free form the police lock-up a party activist who had been involved in a group clash and later attacked the police, during a TMC procession on a south Kolkata street. How do you expect the police to act against TMC criminals after this?’ asks one official.
With the politicisation and demoralisation within the state police going deep, there is little hope that things would improve soon either for the long suffering citizens of West Bengal, or for the TMC itself. They have to thank the Chief Minister and other TMC leaders for their plight. No wonder a section within the powerful print media in the state refers to the present phase as reminiscent of the Mushalparba section in the epic Mahabharata. That was when members of the Yadav clan killed and destroyed each other in the presence of Lord Krishna. (IPA Service)