Back in court, Mamata alleges police inaction on post-poll attacks, says Bengal no bulldozer state
KOLKATA: (May 14) Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday told the Calcutta High Court that police remained passive during post-poll violence in West Bengal, while asserting that it is not a bulldozer state, amid ongoing demolition drives against illegal structures.
The former chief minister, who appeared for the first time before the high court to argue a case in connection with alleged violence against workers and attacks on TMC party offices following the announcement of the 2026 assembly poll results, sought urgent judicial intervention to protect the people of the state from the attackers.
This was Banerjees second appearance as lawyer before a court of law in recent times and the first since her partys electoral debacle in Bengal in the hands of the BJP, the previous one being in February this year, when she had personally appeared before the Supreme Court and made submissions in the petition filed by her challenging the West Bengal SIR process.
An LLB degree holder, Banerjee, accompanied by senior Trinamool Congress leaders Chandrima Bhattacharya and Kalyan Banerjee both lawyers reached the high court in a lawyer's robe to appear for a petition filed by Sirsanya Bandyopadhyay, son of Kalyan Banerjee and the partys candidate from the Uttarpara assembly seat in the recent assembly polls.
The TMC chief submitted that at least 10 people have been killed, some 150-160 TMC party offices vandalised and around 2,000 instances of violence have taken place in the state in the aftermath of the election results.
Out of 10 dead, six are Hindus. Please tell the police to act accordingly. They are not allowing FIRs to be lodged. In my family, 12-year-old girls are being threatened with rape, the former CM submitted before the division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Pal.
Mamata Banerjee alleged that the situation has come to such a pass that even she isnt able to reach police stations to file complaints, and depended on the online mode.
She also claimed that attacks have been orchestrated on fish markets in the state and meat shops.
Banerjee referred to pictures submitted to the bench, also comprising Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, and stated that women, children and members of the minority community have been specifically targeted, while party offices were looted and captured in front of the police.
One Scheduled Caste family, including a 92-year-old widow, was thrown out of her house. They (BJP supporters) ransacked many residences. So many people are suffering, including general caste Hindus, she said.
The TMC supremo lashed out at the role of the police, alleging selective activity in some cases and inertness in others.
Everything is being done in the presence of the police. People are entitled to be heard even if you are demolishing an unauthorised structure. Criminals are taking law into their own hands. Police should prevent crime. After an incident has happened, will they not investigate? But, there is no police to do that, she argued, adding, Bengal is not a bulldozer state.
Also appearing on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Kalyan Banerjee referred to the post-poll bulldozer action in central Kolkatas 400-year-old heritage Hogg (New) Market, stating justice by bulldozer is unknown to jurisprudence.