Calcutta HC directs Bengal govt, BSF IG to file report on panchayat poll violence

Kolkata, July 10 The Calcutta High Court on Monday asked the West Bengal government and Border Security Force (BSF) Inspector General S.C. Budakoti to submit separate reports to the court on incidents of violence over the panchayat elections held in the state on July 8.

Budakoti was the central nodal officer for the rural civic body polls. As many as 39 persons have been killed in poll-related violence since the announcement of the polling date on June 8.

The directive of the division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya seeking reports from both the BSF IG and the state government comes at a juncture when Budakoti has already accused the State Election Commission of non-cooperation in effective deployment and utilisation of central armed forces on the polling day.

The BSF IG is also slated to submit a detailed report to the Union Home Ministry on poll-related violence.

West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose is also in the national capital now, and will submit his own report on the panchayat poll violence to Home Minister Amit Shah.

On Monday, after the initial hearing of a petition filed by state Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the division bench of the Chief Justice directed the state government to make arrangements for proper treatment of those who were injured in poll-related violence.

The bench also directed the state government to fully assist the family members of the deceased in performing their last rituals.

It further directed videography of the entire process of post-mortem of the bodies. The bench said the issue of compensating the family members of the deceased and those injured will be taken up by the court once the reports are submitted by the state government and the BSF IG.

The leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, had already demanded that the state government should provide Rs 50 lakh as compensation to the kin of the deceased, and Rs 10 lakh for the injured persons.