Recently concluded Bengal Panchayat Polls were marred with violence claiming many innocent lives. Among the scores of people who were killed during the municipal elections, a school teacher on election duty who had gone missing was subsequently found dead. On 14th May, at an election booth in North Dinajpur district when everyone was a mute spectator to the goondaism of Trinamool Congress party workers, he showed courage and prevented the attempt to capture the booth and stamp ballot papers. According to Swarajya report, he was also threatened by the goons with dreadful consequences but still, he didn’t back off from his duty and ensured free and fair elections by preventing foul play. After sometimes, while the voting was still on the progress, he left the booth. Hours after his departure in the evening, his mutilated body was found along the railway track near Raiganj. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Local TMC leaders and state administration tried to label his death as suicide. Outraged over this attempt to portray horrendous murder as suicide, local school teachers started a protest, and took out a march on the national highway near Raiganj. They were intercepted by a government official. Reportedly, the crowd threw shoes and water at the officer. Officer Sherpa, at whom shoes were thrown, happen to be from SC/ST community. Instead of redressing the concerns of the protesters, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee decided to teach protesting teachers a lesson. FIRs have been filed against many of them, many under non-bailable offences such as an attempt to murder. Three teachers have already been arrested. A senior office-bearer of West Bengal Teachers’ Association (WBTA) told Swarajya that, “The message that the present state government wants to send out is that protests against the Trinamool and the Chief Minister won’t be tolerated, and any such protests will invite severe punitive action.” Many of the protesting teachers have been identified and are being targeted under various IPC acts. Many are now living in fear and have fled their villages. The lawyer who is fighting the case of the arrested teachers said, “The FIRs against the teachers were lodged eleven hours after the incident, obviously on instructions from the political leadership in Kolkata. Also, sections of the SC/ST Act were slapped on the teachers even though Sherpa was on duty and, hence, the provisions of the Act could not be applicable in the case. It shows that the Mamata Banerjee government is hell bent upon punishing the teachers for protesting against the murder of their colleague.”
This is once again a great example of democracy in-action under Mamata Banerjee. Even if one of your colleagues is found dead under mysterious circumstances and you raise questions, you will be framed and intimidated until you learn to keep your mouth closed. Baseless charges against the teachers are nothing but an instrument to silence them.
Under Mamata Banerjee’s rule in Bengal, teachers are killed, BJP workers are gruesomely murdered, elections are rigged and complete disregard of law and order prevails. It seems, only illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are safe in West Bengal. She cannot even manage her state properly and she is dreaming to become Next PM of India.
