Indian Court Orders Investigation of West Bengal State's Post-Election Violence

State Assembly elections were held in West Bengal in April this year. Witnessing a strong contest between the Indian state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP, the polls were marred by a spate of violence. TMC head and State chief Mamata Banerjee launched scathing attacks against top BJP leaders for 'meddling with the election process'.

The Calcutta High Court of India on Thursday ordered the country's top investigative agency to probe cases related to murder, rape and other crimes that occurred against women soon after the West Bengal legislative assembly polls' results were declared.

The order has come as a major setback for the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, as now India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will look into the incidents of violence.  

Post-election violence was witnessed in different parts of the state after election results were declared on 2 May.

The defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the TMC government had deliberately turned a blind eye to a violent incidents after returning to power.

It was alleged that supporters of TMC clashed with the opposing BJP workers and raped women associated with BJP; several murders were reported from across the state.

While BJP claimed 9 of its members were murdered, TMC alleged that 3 of its workers were killed within hours of the poll results' announcement.

A fact-finding team had estimated that nearly 15,000 cases of violence had been reported in the state within a span of several days after election results were announced, with 7,000 of the incidents pertaining to the molestation of women. 

The BJP had raised an alarm over a "complete breakdown of law and order" even as Mamata Banerjee had denied all claims that had suggested the rising crimes were related to polls.

A seven-member committee set up by the National Human Rights Commission had looked into the incidents of violence and recommended a court-monitored CBI probe. 

On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court said that it will monitor the probe handed over to the CBI. It directed that "entire record of the cases be entrusted to the CBI for investigation".

The court has also directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team, comprised of four Indian Police Services officers, to probe "other criminal cases related to poll post violence". It has also asked the state government to immediately process the compensation for the victims of that violence.

The High Court also rejected the allegations of bias raised by the state government against the National Human Rights Commission, a team which had submitted a fact finding report to the Court.