TMC assault on BJP backers attack on democracy: SC | India News

NEW DELHI: Coming down heavily on Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers for targeting Hindu families and their women for supporting BJP during the 2021 assembly elections in alleged complicity with West Bengal police, Supreme Court has cancelled the bail granted to six TMC workers and said such incidents were “grave attacks on the roots of democracy”.It allowed an appeal against Calcutta HC’s orders granting bail to Sekh Jamir Hossain, Sekh Nurai, Sekh Ashraf, Sekh Karibul and Jayanta Done.‘Cancellation of bail requires a higher threshold than grant of bail’ A Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said, “The concerted attack on the (Hindu) complainant’s house was launched on the day of election results with the sole objective of wreaking vengeance because he had supported the saffron party. “This is a grave circumstance which convinces us that the accused persons, including the respondents herein, were trying to terrorise members of the opposite political party whom the accused respondents were supporting.” Aware that cancellation of bail requires a higher threshold than grant of bail, the bench said, “Having regard to the facts enumerated above, we feel that the present one is a case wherein the allegations against the accused respondents are so grave that the same shake the conscience of the court.”Writing the judgment, Justice Mehta said, “The reprehensible way the incident was perpetrated shows the vengeful attitude of the accused persons and their avowed objective to subdue supporters of the opposite party into submission by hook or by crook. The dastardly offence was nothing short of a grave attack on the roots of democracy.”The judgment recorded that the complainant’s wife was viciously pulled by the hair and disrobed. The accused persons were about to assault her sexually when the woman gathered the courage to pour kerosene on herself and threatened self-immolation upon which the accused persons ran away, it said.Justices Nath and Mehta said, “There is no possibility of a fair and impartial trial being conducted if the accused respondents are allowed to remain on bail. Thus, on both counts – nature and gravity of the offence which is nothing short of an attack on the roots of democracy, and the imminent likelihood of the accused adversely affecting a fair trial – the bail granted to the accused respondents must be cancelled.”This was the second time in recent days that attacks on Hindus by TMC members had the judiciary’s attention and intervention. Earlier, a fact-finding team set up by Calcutta HC held that a party MLA and a corporator had identified houses of Hindus which were later targeted by a violent mob protesting against the new waqf law in Murshidabad. Two people were killed in the attack.Asking the trial court to conclude the trial within six months, SC directed the West Bengal home secretary and the director general of police to ensure that proper protection was provided to the complainant and all witnesses so that they could freely appear and depose at the trial. The SC warned that if any violation of these directions was reported by the CBI, it would take suitable action. Immediately after the 2021 assembly elections, in the Muslim majority village of Gumsima, TMC workers wreaked vengeance on a Hindu family for supporting BJP. The head of the family had earlier lodged a police complaint that he was not being allowed to carry out his religious rituals.The evening after election results were declared on May 2, 2021, an armed mob of 40-50 people led by Sekh Mahim threw bombs at the Hindu family’s house, looted belongings and disrobed the complainant’s wife and molested her. The mob relented only when she poured kerosene on herself and threatened self-immolation. The entire family fled the village to save their lives and dignity.On May 3, 2021, the family approached Sadaipur police station to lodge a complaint. The officer-in-charge did not accept the complaint and advised the complainant to leave the village to save himself and his family. Several similar complaints were not recorded by the police. Calcutta HC on Aug 19, 2021, ordered CBI to investigate all such cases involving rape, murder or attempt to commit such offences. CBI had registered cases in Dec 2021.