This apparently endless spiral of violence makes Bengal possibly the most politically disturbed territory in India today, without any semblance of minimum police/civil functioning. There is neither law, nor order. During the last four months, armed mobs and anti-socials have launched 16 attacks on policemen, often attacking thanas. Such attacks, always backed by rival factions of the ruling TMC, have occurred right within the state capital Kolkata and the districts. Scores of men in uniform have been injured. At least four have been killed. Owing to vote ban considerations of the ruling TMC there has been little punishment for those involved, even in police killings. There have been instances of political promotion like civic councilor-ship, for the relatives of those accused.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is in charge of the Home (police) department. What causes general concern, extending well beyond opposition parties, is the state Government’s indifference to increasing mob attacks on the police. Public fears have been compounded after a serious outbreak of violence over two warring groups of TMC workers at Khandaghosh in Burdwan. Three persons were killed. They were allegedly squabbling over the control of the local illegal sand mining racket. Such illegal activity on part of the ruling party has continued for months, threatening livelihoods and the environment, in many areas.

‘Nine times out of ten, the wrongdoers have been left scot-free. In most crimes, hardly one or two persons are arrested. In court, there is frequently no government lawyer present to plead for the men in uniform. Getting bail is child’s play. Even when there are lawyers representing the police they do not plead for police custody,’ says scribe Aniruddha Paul. The reason: the accused are backed by local TMC leaders, who run thanas in Bengal de facto, since May 2011.

So there is no punishment for even killing police personnel in TMC-ruled Bengal. Recently during the civic elections, the near relative of a person accused of involvement in the fatal shooting of policeman Tapash Choudhury during a college students’ election at Garden Reach, was made a civic Councillor on a TMC ticket. The accused man had been let off on bail. He now threatens people and political opponents more strongly than before, according to local reports.

When another policeman was killed for protesting against exploding crackers and loud music played near his home late at night, there was no police action against offenders, who threatened the victim’s family later!

Observers familiar with Ms Banerjee’s functioning are not surprised at the virtual dissolution of the state police force in the state. The tone was set early in 2011, when just after winning the Assembly polls and becoming Chief Minister she walked into the Bhowanipore thana to free two supporters. They were arrested for bursting loud crackers and creating pandemonium while taking out a ‘victory procession’ close to her home.

Her next intervention came after a police party came under an attack by anti socials in Kolkata, who were illegally ‘hooking’ power. An armed mob attacked and drove the policemen back, who opened fire in self defence.

Ms Banerjee promptly issued an order no matter what the situation or provocation, there would be NO POLICE FIRING, even in self-defence.

No wonder that when a city police station recently came under attack by a violent mob led by a local TMC leader at Alipore, policemen were seen (and pictured by the media) to be cowering in terror, crouching under a table in a ransacked room , as brickbats and missiles flew around them ! The mob was upset as the police had gone to clear space illegally occupied by squatters on a court order. To this day, the TMC instigator has not been questioned!

In the same vein, when civic policemen pulled up TMC Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen and Debapriya, a niece of the TMC Mayor of Kolkata for violating traffic rules and behaving in a drunken and disorderly manner respectively, both men punished. The former was stood down from his job, (Ms Sen had threatened him of action) while the latter was sent on leave by his superiors and has not been heard from again.

Congress leader Abdul Mannan said ‘With Bengal becoming India’s biggest hub of explosives, unlicensed arms and bombs, there is no possibility that the TMC-launched reign of criminal terror, unchecked by the police, will end soon. With Assembly elections coming and arms being piled, as had happened during the recent violent civic elections, hundreds of people may be killed in political clashes. ‘Needless to say, the TMC virtually swept the civic polls, as its goons attacked voters, exploded bombs, killed a policeman almost by the way, as opposition parties and common voters could only watch in frustration.

While this is bad enough, what is worse is the open instigation to violence, calls to attack the police, to murder and rape political opponents, by TMC leaders, like Minister Jyotipriya Mullick, MP Tapas Paul, Birbhum district leader Anubrata Mondal, Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, among others. None has been pulled up and or even questioned by the police for their inflammatory words and open incitement to violence.

The roots of such outbreaks of violence go deep. After its win in the 2011 Assembly polls, the TMC adopted a policy of weaning away workers and supporters of all other parties, promising them berths and position. There was a virtual exodus of workers and supporters of the Congress and the Left parties to the TMC, where they were given posts. This infuriated old time TMC activists who had suffered for years under Left rule. No wonder dissident activity increased. As the police became inactive, both sides went on to arm themselves and settle their differences in the open. The outcome of these tactics now haunts the state.

Since the TMC’s policy of denying the opposition any space at all from the grassroot level panchayats to Parliament continues, using all tactics at its disposal, there is no likelihood of dissident activities being checked. If present trends are any indication, the situation will get worse, reaching its bloody climax by the time the next round of Assembly polls, scheduled before May 2016, are held. (IPA Service)