Trinamool kills 142 political foes: CPI-M

Trinamool Congress activists have killed 142 political opponents and forced 12 to commit suicide in unending attacks on the Left Front in West Bengal, the CPI-M said Thursday.

There have also been 987 cases of physical assaults on women, and more than 46,000 people were forced out of their homes since the Trinamool took power in 2011, the "People's Democracy" said in an editorial.

"The current situation is menacingly moving towards a situation reminiscent of the semi-fascist terror unleashed in the state during the decade of the 1970s," the publication said.

"The objective then, as it is today, was to establish political hegemony by snuffing out all opposition through the brazen abrogation of democracy and civil liberties," it said.

The Trinamool victory ended 34 years of uninterrupted rule by the Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

Among other statistics, the "People's Democracy" said 7,433 people were injured, 46,937 evicted from their homes, 5,547 houses ransacked, looted and burnt, and 1,247 CPI-M offices forcibly taken over.

It said there had also been numerous attacks on mass organisations, trade union offices and educational institutions.

It said 4,237 real and perceived political opponents had been arrested on false and fabricated charges.

Those targeted included Left leaders Biman Basu, Mohd Salim, Manab Mukherjee, Rajdeo Gwala and Prasanta Chatterjee.

The Left Front has petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee and the Election Commission over the political violence, the journal said.

The Election Commission was told that the Trinamool "uses all forms of force, threats and intimidation to ensure that opposition members elected in the local body elections resign or change their political allegiance in favour of the ruling party.

"Spouses of prospective candidates and those elected belonging to the opposition parties are 'visited' by ruling party goons with presents of white saris (worn by women when their husbands are deceased), thus, threatening grave consequences if the husbands do not withdraw from the contest or join the ruling party."