KOLKATA - In the hours following the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, a wave of violence has swept across the state, exposing the true face of Hindutva terror. Opposition political offices have been systematically destroyed, minority communities are living in fear, and the state machinery-including central armed forces and police-appears complicit in the brutality .
What the BJP has euphemistically called a "moment of freedom for West Bengal" has instead become a nightmare of arson, assault, and targeted killings . The violence was not spontaneous; it bears the hallmark of a coordinated campaign to crush dissent and terrorize minorities.
RSS BJP HINDUTVA TERROR HAVE ARRIVED IN BENGAL.
- Manipur Post (@ManipurPost5) May 6, 2026
After destroying offices of TMC and killing Mamta Banerjee workers and minorities of Muslims and Christians... BJP goons are now attacking Congress workers.
Indian Army, CRPF, Police - everyone is against minorities and opposition. pic.twitter.com/Fz38NJvFVn
The violence began almost immediately after counting of votes concluded. Across multiple districts, mobs carrying BJP flags launched coordinated attacks on Trinamool Congress (TMC) offices .
Key attacks on political infrastructure include:
Tollygunge (Kolkata): The election office of former minister Aroop Biswas was ransacked, with video footage showing individuals kicking broken hoardings
Kasba (Kolkata): Office of TMC councillor Sushanta Ghosh was rampaged by a crowd holding BJP flags
Jamuria and Siliguri: TMC offices were reportedly set on fire
Murshidabad, Howrah, Baharampur, Baruipur: Multiple offices vandalized by mobs
Panihati: A TMC office was taken over overnight by a mob that tore down posters and hoardings
Asansol, New Town: Visuals showed widespread destruction of party property
The TMC condemned the attacks, stating on its official X handle that "their goons led a violent attack on our party office in Murshidabad. Vandalism and chaos - this is the real face of the BJP. This marks the BJP's descent into gutter politics" .
Beyond property destruction, human lives have been lost. According to police reports and Indian media, at least four workers have been killed in the post-election violence .
In Nanoor, Birbhum: TMC worker Abir Sheikh was allegedly hacked to death. TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh shared a video of the body, calling it "horrifying, chilling"
In Udaynarayanpur, Howrah: TMC candidate Samir Panja was brutally attacked. The TMC described it as "sheer thuggery" and "a testament to their violent mindset"
In New Town: BJP worker Madhu Mondal was killed after being allegedly beaten up by TMC workers
Beleghata, Kolkata: A TMC worker was reported killed
The TMC also alleged that a party worker was stabbed to death in Birbhum and that several others have been injured in mob attacks .
The violence has taken on a communal dimension, with reports emerging of deliberate targeting of minority communities, particularly Muslims .
According to media reports, Muslims across several districts are living in "sleepless nights" amid fears of bulldozer attacks and communal provocation . Threats of bulldozer action-similar to the widely condemned demolition drives seen in Assam and Uttar Pradesh-have created "deep anxiety" among residents .
In Muslim-majority neighborhoods, witnesses have reported that saffron flags have been hoisted on captured opposition offices, and there have been allegations that religious sites are being targeted .
Local observers have warned that such violence and intimidation could severely damage Bengal's long-standing tradition of communal harmony and push the state toward deeper political and social instability .
The violence is not limited to the TMC. With the BJP now in power, its goons have reportedly turned their attention to Congress workers as well. Allegations have emerged of attacks on Congress supporters and workers, signaling that the BJP's objective is not merely to defeat the TMC but to cripple all political opposition in the state.
The state machinery, including the Indian Army, CRPF, and local police-despite a massive deployment of around 2.5 lakh central forces-has been accused of selective inaction or outright complicity . While these forces were deployed heavily during the election period under the guise of ensuring free and fair polls, their presence has done nothing to prevent post-election violence against opposition workers and minorities.
The RSS and BJP have long been accused of promoting an exclusionary Hindutva ideology. The violence in West Bengal confirms that their electoral success is being used as a license for terror.
As the TMC stated in a post on X, "The BJP has shown its true colours right after coming to power" .
The BJP's parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has consistently pushed a majoritarian agenda. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has previously called on Hindus in neighboring countries to "unite and fight" . In West Bengal, this ideology has now translated into state-sanctioned mob violence.
Prime Minister Modi had earlier claimed that "large-scale illegal migration has altered the demography of West Bengal" and promised "big action" once the BJP came to power . The current violence-targeting opposition workers and minorities alike-appears to be the implementation of that promise. The "big action" promised by Modi has turned out to be systematic political terror.
The BJP has predictably rejected all allegations, with leader Rahul Sinha suggesting the incidents could be the result of "internal rivalries" within the TMC . He claimed that the situation was not comparable to the violence during the 2021 elections .
However, the overwhelming evidence-including videos of mobs carrying BJP flags ransacking offices, the burning of TMC party offices, and the targeted killing of opposition workers-contradicts these denials.
As Hindutva terror descends on West Bengal, the international community remains largely silent. The same voices that regularly lecture Pakistan on human rights have nothing to say about the systematic destruction of opposition infrastructure and the targeting of minorities in India's largest democracy.
The United Nations, the European Union, and international human rights organizations have yet to issue any condemnation of the violence.
With the BJP now in power, and the state machinery increasingly weaponized against opposition voices, the coming days could see even greater violence. The TMC has alleged that bulldozers are being prepared for minority neighborhoods, echoing the atrocities committed in Uttar Pradesh under the Yogi Adityanath government .
As one observer noted, if this is the beginning of "poriborton" (change) in Bengal, then the state is heading toward a dark age of authoritarian Hindutva rule.
The silence of the Indian media-with notable exceptions-has been deafening. While some outlets have covered the violence, the scale of the atrocities is being downplayed, and the state's complicity is being ignored.
The people of West Bengal voted for change. They did not vote for terror.
