Kolkata: Several incidents of post-poll violence and communal tension have surfaced across West Bengal days after the Bharatiya Janata Party secured victory in the 2026 Assembly elections and the Mamata Banerjee-led government was dissolved on May 7.
Videos circulating on social media allegedly show BJP supporters marching through localities with saffron flags and raising religious slogans. Some clips reportedly show groups applying sindoor on public artefacts and portraits, damaging statues, renaming streets and targeting properties linked to the Trinamool Congress.
In one reported incident, a bulldozer was allegedly used to demolish a TMC office along with a nearby meat shop.
Another video from North 24 Parganas allegedly showed a mob vandalising the Haji Ali Restaurant while police personnel stood nearby. The footage surfaced online on May 8 and triggered criticism over the administration’s response.
Fresh tensions also emerged outside Azad Hind College in Domjur, Howrah. According to reports, a group of men allegedly threatened female students against wearing burqas and declared, “this is not a madrasa.”
The Trinamool Congress also shared visuals alleging BJP workers defaced portraits of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Mother Teresa by applying sindoor on their foreheads.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee condemned the incidents and accused BJP-linked groups of targeting minorities. He said Muslim women and students faced intimidation in educational spaces after the election outcome.
“When women from minority communities are targeted, and their religious identity is openly attacked in educational spaces, it raises serious concerns about their safety, dignity, and constitutional rights in Bengal,” Banerjee wrote on X.
Debate has intensified over the silence of BJP leadership regarding the reported incidents. The party has denied involvement in the violence.
