West Bengal’s former chief minister Mamata Banerjee appeared before the Calcutta High Court on Thursday for a hearing tied to a post-poll violence PIL filed after the May 4 election results. Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee alleged widespread hooliganism and targeting of Trinamool Congress workers, while petitioner Bikash Bhattacharya pointed to the demolition of Muslim shopkeepers’ makeshift stalls in Kolkata’s Hog Market area using a bulldozer. Banerjee also urged the court to direct police to register FIRs for all poll-related violence.
Post-poll violence has been reported across multiple districts in West Bengal, including South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Malda and North 24 Parganas. Reports include shops being set ablaze, crude bomb explosions and attacks on political workers. Police have deployed additional forces, detained individuals and begun investigations to determine the triggers and those responsible.
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The Supreme Court will hear a plea on May 11 seeking continued deployment of central forces in West Bengal amid fears of post-poll violence. The case comes as vote count trends indicate the BJP is leading strongly and projected to cross the halfway mark in the assembly. Election officials also reported high voter turnout in recent phases, heightening the focus on security.
Late Wednesday, after another phase of West Bengal polling, the residence of RSS worker Abhijit Brahma was allegedly targeted and vandalised by a group locals identify as Trinamool Congress supporters. The incident has raised fresh allegations of post-poll violence as the 2026 Assembly elections near their next stretch, with authorities yet to offer full clarity on motives and suspects.
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