West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said his government will reopen the Chhoto Angaria case and other cases linked to alleged political violence during the Left Front’s tenure, turning a long-running legal controversy into a fresh political and administrative flashpoint.
Adhikari made the statement at a public meeting in Garhbeta in West Bengal’s Jhargram district on Saturday, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. He also attacked Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammed Salim and referred to alleged violence in Nandigram and Garhbeta.
“From Chhoto Angaria onwards, I will reopen all the case files,” Adhikari said at the meeting, as quoted in the report. He further said that cases involving people allegedly associated with the CPI(M) office in Garhbeta and the violence surrounding Nandigram in 2007 would be reopened, adding that no one would be spared.
The Chhoto Angaria case relates to an incident reported on January 4, 2001, when a house belonging to Trinamool Congress worker Baktar Mondal was allegedly set on fire. Five Trinamool workers were reported missing after the incident. Allegations were subsequently made that the workers had been burnt to death after the house was set on fire.
The report said the incident was investigated and that the names of CPI(M) leaders Sushanta Ghosh, Tapan Ghosh and Sukur Ghosh were associated with the case. Several arrests were also made during the investigation. In 2009, the accused were acquitted because of a lack of witnesses, according to the report.
The legal status of the matter remains central to any proposed reopening. CPI(M) leader Sushanta Ghosh said the case had already gone through trial and that proceedings had continued in the Calcutta High Court for 15 years. He claimed that the High Court had issued a stay and that the matter remained pending because lawyers from the previous government had not appeared regularly.
Ghosh also said that the new government had filed another case against him under non-bailable sections. He said he had obtained anticipatory bail and was required to appear every week at Chandrakona Road police station. According to his statement, CPI(M) leaders Shatarup Ghosh and district secretary Bijoy Pal were also accused in that case.
The Chhoto Angaria controversy has remained connected to the political history of Garhbeta, which was under the administrative jurisdiction of West Midnapore during the Left Front period and later became part of Jhargram district. The area was a significant site of political conflict during the Left’s rule, while the case has continued to be cited in Bengal’s political debates.
At the meeting, Adhikari also referred to earlier confrontations involving Tapan and Sukur Ghosh and said he had previously challenged them in Garhbeta. His remarks followed recent criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party by Mohammed Salim during a visit to Jhargram, according to the report.
The announcement does not itself establish that any case has been formally reopened. Any such action would require the competent investigative or judicial authorities to determine the applicable legal process, particularly in view of the reported acquittal and continuing court proceedings. The next formal step from the state government or the relevant court will determine whether the proposed reopening moves beyond a political declaration.
