2021 Post-poll violence, Birbhum massacre, RG tax: Suvendu brings big issues of Bengal back into focus. india news

Last updated:July 21, 2026, 11:48 IST

According to reports, the police have initiated 458 new inquiries, registered 181 new FIRs and reopened 59 previously closed cases related to the 2021 violence.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal has started reopening several high-profile cases dating back to the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) administration, saying the exercise is aimed at rectifying alleged investigative lapses and restoring public confidence in the justice system.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari described the move as a shift from “ruler’s law” to “rule of law”, arguing that police actions under the previous government were influenced by political affiliations. The BJP had repeatedly promised before the assembly elections that if it came to power, it would revisit the contentious matters which it alleged had been either watered down or deliberately suppressed.

The government’s first major step is to conduct a comprehensive review of the violence linked to the 2021 assembly elections, in which the TMC won comprehensively. The Home Department directed all district police chiefs and commissioners to examine previous investigations, reopen cases where investigators found procedural or evidentiary lapses, and file fresh FIRs if the initial investigation revealed cognizable offenses that were not prosecuted.

According to reports, the police have initiated 458 new investigations, registered 181 new FIRs and reopened 59 previously closed cases related to the 2021 violence. There are around 170 newly registered cases in Birbhum district alone, with charges ranging from murder and attempt to murder to assault and criminal intimidation. The police have also made over 175 arrests in connection with the post-poll violence and initiated action in over 100 cases related to illegal mining in the district.

The renewed focus has also spread on the 2022 Bogatui massacre in Birbhum, where several women and children were burnt alive after houses were set on fire following the murder of a local TMC leader. The investigators recently arrested an absconding accused, Rohan Shaikh alias Kismat Shaikh, giving a fresh impetus to the case.

Another politically sensitive investigation reopened by the new government is the death of 13-year-old Tamanna Khatoon in 2025 in Nadia district. Tamanna died in a bomb blast during TMC’s victory procession after the by-elections. While earlier investigations had described the incident as a clash between rival local groups, the BJP said it was a politically motivated attack targeting a family supporting the CPI(M). Following the fresh review, West Bengal Police arrested 13 additional accused from Haryana and Maharashtra and replaced the special public prosecutor handling the case. Tamanna’s mother has since said that she had “lost all hope” before the investigation was reopened.

The government has also reopened aspects of the August 2024 RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case, one of the most controversial criminal cases in recent years. The review focuses on allegations of evidence tampering, mishandling of the investigation and attempts to suppress facts during the preliminary investigation. Three senior IPS officers, who held key positions in Kolkata Police at that time, have been suspended pending departmental proceedings. The government has also indicated that it will review the cases registered against doctors and citizens who protested after the incident while taking action against those accused of vandalizing the hospital premises.

Beyond the criminal investigation, the government has ordered a probe into the alleged Rs 635 crore advertising scam involving an advertising agency linked to Mamata Banerjee, alleging financial irregularities during the previous administration.

However, TMC has accused BJP of using the restarted investigation to target political opponents. Party leaders argue that if the government is truly pursuing justice, it should also revisit incidents like the 2018 panchayat election violence and take action against all those allegedly responsible, irrespective of their current political affiliation.

However, for the BJP, reopening these cases fulfills a key election promise. The government says the exercise aims to address unresolved allegations, correct investigative shortcomings, and ensure that politically sensitive cases receive impartial legal review.

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From the post-poll violence in West Bengal in 2021 to the rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College in 2024 and the death of a schoolgirl in a bomb blast in 2025, the BJP government in West Bengal has reopened many old cases in the state. It has also indicated that this is just the beginning, with several high-profile cases on its radar, calling on it to end “years of cover-up under the previous regime”.

In a recent statement, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said: “Under the previous regime, criminals were distinguished by their political affiliation and police action was strongly influenced by the political identity of the victims. Our government works differently.” It is a shift from “law of the ruler” to “rule of law,” he said.

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One of the first decisions of the Adhikari government was a comprehensive review of all cases of violence linked to the 2021 assembly elections, which the Trinamool Congress won.

The CM held a meeting with ADG, Law and Order, Ajay Ranade, after which the government directed all superintendents of police and commissioners to carefully re-examine previous investigations, to reopen 2021 cases where there were “investigative lapses”, and to register fresh cases where preliminary investigations revealed unknown cognizable offences.

Police officials said they have launched at least 458 new investigations into the 2021 violence, besides registering 181 new FIRs and reopening 59 cases. Nearly 170 new cases have been reported in Birbhum alone, a district known for illegal sand-mining and stone-mining syndicates and political violence. These include cases of murder, attempt to murder, threats and assault.

In 2022, Bogtui in Birbhum district was the site of another incident of political violence, when a mob set fire to several houses following the murder of a local TMC leader, leaving several women and children burnt alive. Last month, CBI had arrested Rohan Shaikh alias Kismat Shaikh, who was absconding in this case, from Kolkata.

A senior Birbhum police officer, who did not want to be identified, told The Indian Express: “In the post-poll violence in 2021, around 170 cases have been registered and 175 arrests have been made. Around a hundred cases have been registered in connection with illegal mining alone and over 70 arrests have been made.”

Asked about the BJP government opening old cases, TMC spokesperson Pradipta Mukherjee said, “This is less about serving justice and more about targeting the opposition. If the BJP is really serious about this, then why is (former sports minister) Arup Biswas walking free in the Messi (rebel) case? Is it because he joined the refugee (rebel) camp? … Abhishek Banerjee in the DJ (remarks) case.” “Are being called (for questioning), but no action has been taken against Sayoni Ghosh or Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who spoke on similar lines during the election campaign (both are in the rebel camp).”

Listing the violence in the 2018 panchayat elections, Mukherjee also asked why the same interest was not being shown in other cases. This was because many of the leaders behind it who were in TMC at the time “now hold key positions in the BJP government”, he said.

In the case of the murder of 13-year-old Tamanna Khatoon in Nadia in 2025, when a bomb was thrown during a TMC victory procession after a by-election, 13 additional arrests have been made across Haryana and Maharashtra. The official announced on 27 June that almost all the accused named in the case had now been captured.

At the time of Tamanna’s death, the police had blamed it on a clash between two local rival groups and arrested 11 people. However, the BJP termed it a targeted political crime, saying the victim’s family was a supporter of CPI(M).

West Bengal Police made 13 fresh arrests from Gurgaon and Nagpur in a three-day crackdown soon after Tamannaah’s mother Sabina Yasmin met the officer in the state assembly. Yasmin told The Indian Express: “Many people directly involved in the case were walking free… I had lost all hope.”

Krishnanagar police district superintendent of police Atul V said they have also replaced the special public prosecutor in the case.

August 2024 The RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case is also reopened, with the officer citing widespread public concern over “evidence tampering” and “institutional repression” during the preliminary investigation as the reason for the decision. Three IPS officers who held senior positions at the time – Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal, Deputy Commissioner (Northern Division) Abhishek Gupta, and Deputy Commissioner (Central Division) Indira Mukherjee – were suspended and a departmental inquiry ordered against them.

A BJP leader said: “The government is currently working on two different fronts regarding the RG car aftermath. It is trying to withdraw harassment-motivated police cases against citizens or doctors who participated in the protests. And it intends to prosecute those who vandalized the medical college on August 14, 2024, to destroy crime scene evidence.”

The RG Kar victim’s mother, now a BJP MLA, said the administrative change is an important step towards accountability, and she hopes complete justice will be served. BJP leader Ratna Debnath said, “The new government has come and its intention is very clear that not only the RG tax victim, every such victim woman will get justice.”

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