Civil society groups raise alarm over violence against minorities in Bengal
A collective of activists and journalists expressed concern over human rights violations and targeted attacks in the state since May 4, according to The Telegraph India.
A collective of journalists, former bureaucrats, and rights activists on Tuesday expressed alarm over the state of constitutional rights in West Bengal since May 4. Speaking at a news meet at the Press Club, the group condemned 48 attacks on Christian minorities and the detention and deportation of Bengali-speaking Indians on suspicion of being Bangladeshi, according to The Telegraph India.
Former Rajya Sabha member and ex-Prasar Bharati chief Jawhar Sircar detailed official apathy regarding violence against the Christian minority. Sircar stated that oppressors target small prayer meetings in village huts and claimed that every area has developed BJP-backers overnight. He noted that these actions are carried out under groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Jagran Manch.
The briefing followed a public hearing on Monday where evidence of intimidation was presented from districts including North and South 24-Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, and East and West Midnapore. Amnesty International India board chair Aakar Patel warned of institutional erosion and stated that the restoration of dropped voters remains the only remedy.
Social activist Harsh Mander described the administrative roll exercise as a mass exclusion and filtration of people. Sircar also challenged the legality of deleting voters through automated algorithms and noted a discrepancy between claims of infiltration and official data. He cited a claim by Suvendu Adhikari regarding 1.5 crore infiltrators, noting that the Election Commission of India (ECI) found no more than 1,600, mostly Nepali.
Journalist John Dayal highlighted the targeting of religious minorities, while former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah questioned if those in authority are defending the Constitution. Activist Vidya Dinker called for press scrutiny to address the reported systematic assaults.