Keep uniform out of political echo chambers

New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) For a poll-bound state, it’s all about creating an echo chamber and building a narrative. There have been conflicts among political parties, between the Centre and state, even between religions, and castes, but such a tiff between the army and police is perhaps unprecedented.

Were the men in uniform in West Bengal caught in a game of political one-upmanship? Or, is it all a mere coincidence and much ado about nothing?

“The armed forces do not go by the diktats of any political party. It follows certain rules and procedures,” stated Group Captain R.K. Das (Retired).

It all started on Monday, when the army moved in to dismantle a protest stage erected by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in central Kolkata, citing legal provisions. The structure had been set up to protest what the Trinamool Congress described as the “humiliation of Bengalis” in states where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the army’s action as “illegal and undemocratic", alleging that it was executed “at the behest of the BJP government at the Centre”.

The army maintained that its intervention was purely procedural. In fact, the vast green lung “maidan” in central Kolkata comes under the army, whose Eastern Command headquarters is at the adjacent Fort William.

It was pointed out that events on the “maidan” are granted permission for two days, with any extension requiring explicit Ministry of Defence approval.

“Permission was granted for two days, when despite reminders the organisers did not dismantle the structure, the army was removing it,” said Gp Capt Das, adding that it is clear from the video footage that nothing was broken, rather due respect was shown to the banners and billboards when removing them.

However, 24 hours later, Kolkata Traffic Police intercepted an army truck for an alleged traffic violation at a high-security central-Kolkata junction. The jawan driving the truck was booked for rash or negligent driving endangering human life.

Urging that the issue should not be given a political colour, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Yeliwad Shrikant Jagannathrao said at a press conference: “Legal action has been initiated against the person who was driving the vehicle, and not against the army.”

But this clash over procedural technicalities versus political symbolism set the stage for heightened tensions in an already polarised state’s political landscape. The events have expectedly led to a high-pitched political diatribe.

West Bengal is gearing up for Assembly elections next year, and every incident is being scrutinised for electoral relevance. Mamata Banerjee’s charge that the army acted “at the behest of” the BJP-led Union government feeds into a broader narrative of Centre-State friction, a theme she has consistently used to rally her base.

Pointing out ongoing debates over language being linked to infiltration and Special Intensive Revision in Bihar, a BJP functionary maintained that it does not augur well for his party to ignite another controversy.

Especially when elections are due in the state and the ruling Trinamool Congress has raked up the issue of “Bengali pride”, the leader added, requesting anonymity.

Within this tussle lies a worry that routine law-and-order matters are being subsumed under partisan one-upmanship.

--IANS

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