By IANS,
Kolkata: A group of politicians and intellectuals, including former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Friday expressed concern over the spiralling political violence in West Bengal after the assembly polls and urged the new government to initiate steps halt the menace.
“After their (Trinamool Congress led alliance) massive victory and installation of the new government, it was widely expected that peace would be established and the democratic rights of the people protected,” said the statement signed by, among others, renowned poet Shankha Ghosh.
The statement said it was also expected that the “responsible administration” would try to solve the problems in public life.
“However, though more than a month has elapsed, political violence was on. Murder and violence have not ceased. This situation must end.”
The signatories appealed to the Mamata Banerjee-led government to take steps quickly. “This is our appeal to the state government,” said the statement.
Former Maoist leaders Asim Chatterjee and Santosh Rana, theatre personality Kaushik Sen and academician Sourin Bhattacharya also signed the statement.
Political violence has left 17 activists dead since the installation of the new government, Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee informed the assembly earlier this week.
Of those killed, eight belonged to the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), six to Trinamool Congress and three to Congress, Chatterjee said.
However, leader of the opposition and senior CPI-M leader Surjya Kanta Mishra claimed Thursday that 20 Left activists have been killed since the assembly election.