Mamata Banerjee Moves Court Police Inaction Over Bengal Post-Poll

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Mamata Banerjee appeared before the Calcutta High Court over post-poll violence allegations.
She claimed police were not allowing FIRs to be filed in several cases.
The court reserved its interim order after hearing arguments from all sides.

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee on Thursday appeared before the Calcutta High Court and accused police of remaining passive during incidents of post-poll violence in West Bengal following the 2026 Assembly election results.

The former Chief Minister, appearing in a lawyer’s robe, sought urgent judicial intervention to protect citizens and party workers allegedly targeted after the polls. She also asserted that West Bengal “is not a bulldozer state” amid controversy surrounding demolition drives against illegal structures.

This marked Banerjee’s first appearance before the Calcutta High Court and her second courtroom appearance as a lawyer in recent months.

Mamata Banerjee Post-Poll Violence Claims Intensify Political Tension

During the hearing, Banerjee alleged that at least 10 people had been killed and nearly 2,000 incidents of violence had taken place after the election results. She also claimed that around 150 to 160 TMC offices were vandalised or captured.

She told the bench headed by Chief Justice Sujoy Pal that police were allegedly refusing to register FIRs in several cases.

Among the allegations made in court:

Women and minors were allegedly threatened
Minority communities were specifically targeted
Party offices were vandalised
Families were allegedly forced out of homes
Fish markets and meat shops were attacked

Banerjee argued that violence was taking place “in front of the police” and accused authorities of selective action.

Bulldozer Politics Debate Reaches Calcutta High Court

The hearing also focused on demolition drives linked to illegal constructions in Kolkata.

Appearing alongside Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee criticised what he described as “justice by bulldozer,” particularly referring to demolition activity around the historic Hogg Market area in central Kolkata.

Banerjee argued that even when unauthorised structures are demolished, affected people are entitled to due legal process.

The second-order effect of the courtroom battle could be a wider national debate over the use of demolition drives as political and administrative tools, an issue already heavily contested across several Indian states.

State Police and BJP Reject TMC Allegations

Appearing for the police, advocate Dhiraj Trivedi argued that the allegations presented before the court were vague and lacked detailed identification of victims and perpetrators. He said the state would examine each complaint individually.

The lawyer also clarified that the Hogg Market demolition was not directly ordered by the government and noted that arrests had already been made in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, Samik Bhattacharya dismissed Banerjee’s allegations as baseless and claimed that violence in Bengal had significantly reduced after the change in political power.

He alleged that recent deaths were linked more to internal TMC conflict than opposition attacks.

Court Reserves Interim Order

After hearing submissions from all parties, the division bench reserved its interim order and stated that the decision would be uploaded later online.

The case is expected to remain politically sensitive because it combines allegations of post-poll violence, policing failures and demolition controversies, all of which are likely to shape the next phase of political confrontation in West Bengal.

Also Read | West Bengal Makes Vande Mataram Mandatory in School Morning Assemblies

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