Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as the chief minister of Bengal for the third time after a remarkable victory in the just-concluded assembly elections.
Banerjee, who took the oath in Bengali, later said her first priority was to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. “I will go to Nabanna now and hold a meeting about the measures we are taking about this crisis. I will hold a press conference at 3 pm and let you know what measures we are taking,” she said.
Taking note of the widespread violence in the state post the election results, the chief minister said: “My second priority is to tackle law and order in the state. I appeal to all political parties to refrain from any sort of violence. I will be posting special officers to handle the situation… We will handle the situation sternly.”
Concerned over incidents of brutal violence after the results in West Bengal that claimed several lives and left many injured, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and enquired about the ‘alarming situation’ in the state. “PM called and expressed his serious anguish and concern at the alarmingly worrisome law & order situation @MamataOfficial. I share grave concerns @PMOIndia given that violence vandalism, arson, loot and killings continue unabated. Concerned must act in overdrive to restore order,” Dhankhar tweeted.
PM Modi’s intervention and Governor’s series of tweets came after incidents of killings, arson, loot, rape and vandalism reported from various parts of Bengal.
On May 2, soon after the results of the Assembly election are out, State BJP leaders alleged many party workers were killed, raped, assaulted brutally and their houses were set on fire across the State. They accused TMC cadres of carrying out the attack and alleged that police are not doing anything to provide them protection.
The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Monday said it has sought a report from the Bengal government over reports of this post-poll violence in the state. “MHA has asked West Bengal government for a report on the post-election violence targeting opposition political workers in the state,” it said in a tweet.
The Trinamool Congress claimed three of its supporters were killed by the BJP, which rejected the allegations, saying the incidents were the result of “people’s resistance”. The incident took place when some TMC supporters were on the way to Nabagram in the Jamalpur police station area on their motorcycles and were allegedly attacked by BJP workers, the sources said.
The TMC said that its members were thrashed and their bikes were damaged. The injured were taken to different hospitals and two were declared dead by Burdwan Medical College and Hospital when rushed there.
Mamata Banerjee won a landslide victory in the Bengal election to secure a third straight term. The Trinamool won 213 of 292 seats while rival BJP finished second with 77 seats.
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