People's Democracy

Unprecedented Anti-Left Attack in West Bengal

From Our Special Correspondent

IN an unprecedented attack throughout the state of West Bengal, nearly 1000 CPI(M) and Left parties’ offices were vandalised and burnt within 24 hours while hundreds of party workers and leaders have suffered injuries. This attack came after the protest at Yojana Bhavan in Delhi on April 9, presenting that incident as a pretext of ruthless terror.

CPI(M) leaders condemned the untoward incident in Delhi protest within half an hour. In Kolkata, Biman Basu categorically stated that the party does not endorse hackling of ministers in a protest demonstration. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Suryakanta Misra too stated in unequivocal terms that this kind of behaviour could not be condoned.

However, from April 9 afternoon, the entire state was rampaged by hooligans who started an all out attack against the CPI(M) in all districts. In the next 24 hours, CPI(M) district offices were attacked in Siliguri (Darjeeling), Baruipur (South 24 Parganas), Srirampore (Hooghly) and Purulia. In Srirampore party leaders were gheraoed for nearly three hours. In South Dinajpur, CPI(M) district secretary Manabesh Choudhury, AIDWA state secretary Minati Ghosh and ex-minister Narayan Biswas were severely beaten in Gangarampur. All of them were hospitalised. Abdur Rezzak Molla’s car was attacked. The CPI(M)’s Hooghly district secretary and ex-minister Sudarshan Roychowdhury’s car was damaged.

In North 24 Parganas, one after another party offices were ransacked in Barrackpore, Panihati, Noapara, Basirhat, Dumdum, Hasnabad and other places. In Coochbehar altogether 105 offices of the CPI(M) and Forward Bloc were vandalised and many Left activists suffered injuries. In West Midnapore, more than 20 offices were ransacked. In Birbhum, zonal committee office in Siuri and 15 other party offices were destroyed. In Kolkata, offices were attacked in Beleghata, Muraripukur, Sealdaha. The story is same in all other districts.

On April 10, in yet another spate of attack, many CPI(M) workers were assaulted and at least 25 activists suffered serious injuries.

Not only CPI(M) and SFI activists were targeted, the TMC rowdies, emboldened by threats from the chief minister herself, also attacked the Presidency University campus without any provocation. An armed TMC gang entered the prestigious campus and beat up students, manhandled girl students and finally ransacked Baker Laboratory, a heritage physics laboratory that is revered as one of the most advanced science laboratories in the country. The whole episode stunned the academic community.

Along with the TMC attacks, the police too have begun to arrest CPI(M) leaders in different districts. Former minister Ashok Bhattacharya and Jibesh Sarkar, CPI(M) state committee member from Darjeeling, were arrested on April 10 evening. 

Apart from the CPI(M), other political parties as well as mass organisations like the AIDWA and SFI have also condemned this spate of attacks.