In the war between the CPM and Trinamool Congress that has pitted Kolkata against New Delhi over political violence in the state,truth is the first casualty. How many have been killed is a question whose answer depends on which party or camp you belong to. Its this that has fuelled the air of suspicion and tension that has gripped large parts of the state barely months before the election machinery is switched on. Particularly after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls which saw a historic debacle for the Left each principal political group claims to maintain a logbook of its martyrs. Of course,it doesnt match any of the others. There are even claims and counter-claims over loyalties of the dead. Consider the death roster of each since the Lok Sabha polls: Trinamool: 267 The most vocal campaigner against political violence by the ruling party,the TMC has submitted multiple deputations to the Home Ministry over the past six months,the latest being a detailed break-up of what it calls the daily chronology of violence against the TMC by CPM. Partha Chatterjee,leader of the TMC Legislature Party,said that according to his partys register,267 TMC workers were killed in the state since the last Lok Sabha polls. Of these,167 during the calendar year 2010 while another 100-plus workers were killed during and after the Lok Sabha polls between May and December 2009. As many as 3,500 party supporters sustained serious to grievous injuries in clashes with the CPM during this period with many partially or totally handicapped. Those who have been driven out of their homes number around 4,600 and they stay in makeshift camps sheltered by relatives and well-wishers. CPM: 365 political murders After the CPM Politburos latest meeting in Kolkata on January 15-16,the party issued a statement: Since the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 till January 9 this year,365 members and supporters of the CPM and the Left Front have been killed by the TMC combine and the Maoists in Bengal. Biman Bose,state secretary,quotes this fugure in his speeches. Of those killed,125 are Adivasis,23 teachers in the Jangal Mahal area. The Politburo criticised the Union Home Minister: Succumbing to the pressures of the TMC,the Union Home Minister wrote a letter to the Chief Minister accusing the CPM of having armed cadres and fomenting violence. There is not a word about the 249 persons killed in the Jangal Mahal area because of their allegiance to the Left Front, the PB statement mentioned. Union Home Ministry: 176 murders In a letter to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,the Union Home Minister mentioned 176 murders during 2010 and provided a list: 96 victims of the TMC; 65 of the CPM and 15 of the state Congress. The number of injured were 1,237 (TMC),773 (CPM) and 221 (Congress). The Home Ministry did not include victims of clashes in the run-up to to the 2009 Lok Sabha polls the period that was marked by a distinct upward swing in murders. The Home Ministry figures are based on data collected by the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau,an outfit of the Central IB. State Crime Record Bureau: 198 political murders since 2009 The state Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) has a fairly widespread network of data collection centres and going by its record,the state has had 198 political murders since May 2009. Of these,118 were in 2010 while another 80 were between May and December 2009. Sources said the state Home Department depends on SCRB for its database,but its not clear which murders are classified as political murders. This leaves room for manipulation. For example,SCRB data shows a total of 2,074 registered murder cases in West Bengal between January 1,2010 and December 31,2010. But only 118 of these were classified as political murders. The SCRB records 220 murder cases in South 24-Parganas,a district thats witnessed a fierce political turf battle over the past year. But of these 220,only one was registered as a political murder. Similarly,another fierce battleground is the North 24-Parganas where as many as 207 murder cases were registered but only three were registered as political murders, as per SCRB records. In Burdwan,of the 150 murders registerd,only three were political while in Nadia,of the 106 murders,not one was political. None of the 150 murders in Jalpaiguri,54 in Coochbehar and 75 in Malda was a political murder,as per SCRB records with The Indian Express.
