Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered the Inspector General, BSF to file a report with regards to the violence, which took place in various booths during the election on July 8.
The writ petition filed by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was heard by the Division Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya on Monday.
“This report would be of significance because it is a submission of the petitioner appearing in person as well as the intervenors that there has been large-scale rigging of the elections in various booths spread over the State,” the Court observed. It was submitted that the figure of 696 booths chosen for re-polling is not the correct number and in the conservative estimate of the intervenor, re-polling should be ordered in nearly 50,000 booths throughout the state.
With regards to the allegations that the Government Hospitals in the relevant areas are not properly equipped to offer medical assistance to the injured victims, the Advocate General pointed out that in the writ petition, there is no specific averment. “We agree with the learned Advocate General that in the writ petition there are no specific instances as to in which hospital the medical facilities are inadequate. However, the respondent/State does not object to any observations or directions that may be issued by this Court in this regard,” the Court observed.
The Division Bench directed the state to ensure that all the injured victims are given the best treatment in the Government hospitals.
Concerning the people, who lost their lives in the violence that allegedly occurred on July 8, the Court directed that F.I.R.s have to be registered and post-mortem have to be performed. “Needless to state that the post-mortem be videographed and the injuries sustained by the victims be appropriately noted and placed before this Court in the form of a report,” the Bench ordered. The Court further directed that the state machinery will make all arrangements by deputing its officers to approach the family of the deceased victims to render all assistance.
In the writ petition, photocopies of Bengali daily were submitted with photograph of a person holding pistol in broad daylight which was published. The accused was identified as Dhiraj Hela and a case has been registered on the file of Mohanpur Police Station and he was produced before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Barrackpore and has been given police custody till July 12. “The police is directed to produce the said accused before the concerned Court on 12.07.2023 in terms of the order passed by the learned Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate...” the Court directed.