West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has expressed concerns over the rising incidents of violence in West Bengal where people belonging to a particular community are being targeted. Senior VHP leader Milind Parande said that there is an atmosphere of fear in the society and it is unfortunate that Hindus are at the receiving end of the brutal and gruesome political violence that started after the declaration of Assembly polls results.
"More than 3,500 villages and over 40-thousand Hindus, including our SC & ST brethren in great numbers, are badly affected by the violence. There have been brutal atrocities against women at many places. Standing crops have been destroyed. Shops and houses have been destroyed. The fish ponds of the pisciculturists have been poisoned," he said.
"Now groups of goons are forcibly collecting protection money from the victims and other terrorized Hindus with phony promises to spare them from further lootings and assaults," he added.
Lashing out at the state government's attitude, he said that the administration appears to be completely "indifferent and despicable".
"There is an atmosphere of fear in the society. Due to this fear and non-co-operation of the local police, victim’s complaints are not being registered," he said.
He demanded from the judiciary to take suo motu cognizance of the situation in the public interest to protect citizens and give strict directions to the state government and the local administration to perform their primary duties of ensuring law and order situation.
"The rioters must be arrested at the earliest and given exemplary punishment," he said. "The state government should fast-track the mechanism to protect people and compensate for the loss of life and property of the victims and rehabilitate them," the VHP leader added.
"It is our request that the court of law ought to consider all these matters in a comprehensive manner and ensure justice for the victims in this time of crisis," Parande said.
The BJP has alleged that several party workers have been killed in widespread violence unleashed by the Trinamool Congress activists after the declaration of the election results on May 2. The TMC retained power for a third consecutive term with a brute majority while the BJP emerged as the main opposition party with 77 seats in the 294-member House.
READ MORE: VHP slams police inaction amid post-poll violence in West Bengal
