Academicians write to President Ram Nath Kovind over 'violence' in West Bengal 

A group of academicians, who are from dalit, tribal and backward communities, have written to President Ram Nath Kovind against the alleged violence targeting members of scheduled castes and tribes in West Bengal, and sought his intervention. "The SC & ST community being the sufferer of this brutal violence needs an assurance of rebuilding and resettling their plundered houses, right to life to the orphaned children, providing medical and other facilities with immediate effect with the full protection and safety," the statement signed by nearly 115 Delhi University academicians said.

They alleged, "The state-sponsored activists of Trinamool Congress in collaboration with the state police have targeted the SC/ST community and spread the violence of killing, looting, raping, and occupying their land." The TMC has denied the allegations of political violence levelled against it and accused the BJP of exaggerating some incidents of the post-poll violence for political purpose.

With the state assembly results out on May 2, more than 11,000 people and most of them belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) community have been rendered homeless and over 40,000 were affected in the 1,627 incidents of violence, these academicians alleged. Over 5,000 houses were demolished, inhuman atrocities were committed against 142 women while 26 people died in the suburban areas belonging to SC/ST community, the academicians, who have written under the aegis of Centre of Social Development, claimed. More than 2,000 people have become refugees as internally displaced persons in Assam, Odisha, and Jharkhand, they alleged.