‘This is not a bulldozer state, this is West Bengal’: Mamata enters courtroom battle over poll violence
The Statesman | 14 May 2026
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday personally appeared before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court and sought judicial intervention over alleged incidents of post-poll violence in the state following the declaration of Assembly election results on May 4.
The hearing assumes significance as allegations of political violence in Bengal after elections have repeatedly triggered legal and political confrontations in the past, with the issue once again returning to the Calcutta High Court amid a bitter face-off between the ruling establishment and the opposition BJP.
Arguing before the bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen in connection with a public interest litigation, Banerjee claimed that women, children and members of the minority community were being targeted in several parts of the state.
“The post-poll violence in the state has reached an alarming stage. No one, especially the people from the minority community and even the women and children, is spared. Married women are being threatened with rape,” Banerjee submitted before the court.
She further alleged that houses were being looted and set on fire, and claimed the police had failed to act on complaints. Banerjee also told the bench that she was willing to place further allegations through an additional affidavit if permitted by the court.
“Save the people of the state. This is not a ‘bulldozer’ state. This is West Bengal,” she argued.
During the proceedings, Banerjee also pointed out that this was the first time she had argued a matter herself before the Calcutta High Court as a practising counsel.
“My name was enrolled as a counsel in 1995. I have regularly renewed that membership,” she told the bench.
Countering the submissions, state government counsel Dhiraj Trivedi described the allegations as vague and unsupported by specific instances.
According to the state government, while the petition claimed that over 2,000 complaints of post-poll violence had surfaced, no detailed examples or names of complainants were placed before the court.
“No specific instances of post-poll violence have been cited in the petition. The petitioner is claiming that over 2,000 complaints of post-poll violence have surfaced. But no instance has been cited. The details of the complainants have also not been mentioned. The case relating to the post-poll violence in 2021 was heard by a five-judge bench. Hence, it will not be desirable for the court to pass an interim order unless specific instances of post-poll violence are presented before the court,” said Trivedi.
Meanwhile, the All India Trinamool Congress highlighted Banerjee’s appearance in court through a social media statement, accusing the BJP of unleashing violence in Bengal after the elections.
The party said Banerjee “never abandons the people of Bengal in their hour of need” and praised her for “fighting for truth, justice, and constitutional values”.
The statement further claimed that she continued to stand firmly against the BJP’s politics and described her as a leader driven by “compassion, courage and conviction”.
The matter was heard on a PIL related to alleged post-poll violence in the state.