Calcutta High Court Seeks State Report on Attacks on Political Workers

MP, July 1, 2026, Kolkata: “You cannot dehumanise a person” and one or two arrests would not solve the larger problem of political violence, said the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday while directing the West Bengal government to file a comprehensive report on the steps taken to prevent attacks, including egg pelting, on TMC leaders and workers.

The direction came while a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen heard a public interest litigation alleging assaults on MPs, MLAs and workers of the Trinamool Congress.

The Bench said isolated criminal action could not address the root of the problem.

“In one or two cases if you arrest, the problem will not be solved. It is social perception. You cannot dehumanise a person,” it observed, indicating that the issue required a broader institutional and societal response.

The court also reminded the state of its responsibility towards persons in its custody.

After the Additional Advocate General submitted that multiple FIRs had been registered over such incidents, the Bench observed that once a person is taken into state custody, it becomes the government’s duty to ensure the individual’s protection.

Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, appearing in support of the PIL, sought interim directions, arguing that attacks on political workers had become a recurring phenomenon.

Referring to recent incidents, he contended that people were unable to move freely and also questioned the action taken over alleged inflammatory remarks made by certain public representatives.

The Bench, however, declined to pass an interim order, observing that it could not issue sweeping directions that were incapable of implementation.

It said the state must first be given an opportunity to place its response before the court.

Directing the government to file a comprehensive compliance report, the Bench also instructed police officers to adhere to the applicable guidelines and take necessary steps to prevent and respond to any untoward incident.

The matter will be taken up again on July 20.

Later, outside the court, Banerjee told the media: “Eggs are being pelted on TMC leaders and that too in front of police. Police are leaving arrested persons with the mob, increasing the risks of getting lynched. Arrested persons are also being paraded in public by the police with ropes around the waist. Agnimitra Paul said egg pelting is the only solution. The Supreme Court had long ruled against such acts which violate human rights.”