West Bengal Government Reopens Old Cases, Including 2021 Post-Poll Violence and 2024 RG Kar Case
The government of West Bengal, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has reopened several old cases, including the 2021 post-election violence, the 2024 rape and murder at R G Kar Medical College, and the 2025 death of a schoolgirl in a bomb blast. Officials say this is part of a broader effort to address what they describe as “years of cover-ups under the previous regime”.
In a statement, Chief Minister Adhikari said: “Under the previous regime, culprits were distinguished by their political affiliations and police action was heavily influenced by the political identity of the victims. Our government operates differently.” He framed the shift as moving from “law of the ruler” to “rule of the law”.
One of the first actions of the Adhikari government was a comprehensive review of all cases linked to the 2021 Assembly elections, which had been won by the Trinamool Congress. Following a meeting with Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Ajay Ranade, the government directed all police superintendents and commissioners to re-examine past investigations, reopen cases where there were “investigative lapses”, and register fresh cases where preliminary inquiries revealed unaddressed cognizable offences.
According to police officials, at least 458 new inquiries have been launched into the 2021 violence, alongside 181 fresh First Information Reports and the reopening of 59 cases. In Birbhum district alone, known for illegal mining and political violence, around 170 fresh cases have been registered, including those of murder, attempted murder, threats, and assault.
In a separate case from 2022, a mob set fire to several houses in Bogtui, Birbhum, following the murder of a local TMC leader, resulting in the deaths of several women and children. Last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Rohan Sheikh alias Kismot Sheikh, who had been absconding, from Kolkata.
A senior police officer in Birbhum, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “In the 2021 post-poll violence, around 170 cases have been registered and 175 arrests made. Around a hundred cases have been registered and more than 70 arrests made in connection with illegal mining alone.”
In response to the reopening of cases, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Pradipta Mukherjee alleged that the government is “less about serving justice and more about targeting the Opposition”. He questioned why former sports minister Aroop Biswas has not been pursued in the Messi visit case, suggesting it may be because he joined a rebel camp. Mukherjee also noted that Abhishek Banerjee is being called for questioning in the DJ remarks case, while others who made similar statements during the campaign have not been summoned. He further asked why the same interest is not shown in other cases, such as the 2018 panchayat polls violence, implying that many leaders involved in that violence are now in the BJP.
In the 2025 case of the killing of 13-year-old Tamanna Khatun in Nadia, who died when a bomb hurled during a TMC victory procession exploded, 13 additional arrests have been made across Haryana and Maharashtra. Chief Minister Adhikari announced on June 27 that almost all accused named in the case have been apprehended. Initially, police had blamed the death on a clash between local rival groups and arrested 11 people. The BJP, however, called it a targeted political crime, noting that the victim’s family supported the CPI(M). Tamanna’s mother, Sabina Yasmin, met Adhikari at the state Assembly and told The Indian Express: “Many directly involved are now behind bars.”
