The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, on Wednesday alleged that goons affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked and broke a statue of communist icon Vladimir Lenin in Murshidabad district. This incident occurred in the Jiaganj area, where BJP candidate Gouri Sankar Ghosh won the assembly seat by over 30,000 votes.
Police Complaint and Arrests
The CPM stated that it registered a police complaint, leading to the arrest of five individuals. The party has vowed to rebuild the statue on May 8. In a post on X, the CPM said: "On the night of May 5, in Jiaganj area of Murshidabad district, BJP goons attacked and broke a statue of Lenin. Our comrades immediately responded and filed a police complaint. A demonstration was held, following which five were arrested. This morning, our comrades went to the site again. The statue will be rebuilt on May 8th."
Historical Context
Vladimir Lenin was a Russian revolutionary who led the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and founded the Soviet Union. He remains one of the most influential communist leaders and had overwhelming influence in West Bengal politics during the CPM regime, which was uprooted by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) under Mamata Banerjee in 2011 after three decades in power.
This incident mirrors a similar event in 2018, when two statues of Lenin were brought down in South Tripura just days after the Left was defeated in assembly polls by the BJP and its ally IPFT. A five-foot high fiberglass statue of Lenin was toppled at Belonia, while a smaller figure was razed at Sabroom.
Post-Election Violence in West Bengal
The mega political transition repeated on May 4 when the BJP decimated the ruling TMC by winning 207 seats with a commanding 45.8 percent vote share in the 294-seat Bengal assembly. Since the verdict, a spiral of violence has been witnessed across the state, leaving at least four people dead, dozens injured, and party offices ransacked as rival cadres from the TMC and BJP clashed in multiple districts overnight.
Two deaths were reported in Kolkata within 24 hours. In Beleghata, TMC poll agent Biswajit Pattanaik, 45, was found bleeding at his doorstep after stepping out following a phone call. Police suspect he was chased, tried to flee across rooftops, and fell, though his family alleges he was dragged out and beaten.
Ongoing Tensions
The violence has raised concerns about law and order in the state. The CPM's accusation and the subsequent arrests highlight the deep political divisions in West Bengal. The rebuilding of the Lenin statue is seen as a symbolic act of resistance by the Left parties.
