In a first, BJP government in Bengal to give jobs to families of those killed in 'political violence' since 2001

Six months after coming to power in West Bengal, the BJP government has launched a scheme to provide Group D jobs to one eligible family member of those killed in incidents of "political violence" in the state since January 1, 2001.

In a notification issued by the state Home and Hill Affairs Department on October 30, the government said additional Group D posts would be created for the scheme as a one-time exception for the victims of political violence.

This is for the first time that a state government has decided to give jobs to the victims of "political violence"

"The state of West Bengal has witnessed numerous incidents of political violence, resulting in loss of human life and in many of those cases, those killed were the sole breadwinners of their families... In order to mitigate the economic hardship of the indigent families after the death of their breadwinner, and to extend dignified rehabilitative support to such families, the state government was actively considering providing government employment (Group D post) to one eligible family member of persons killed in political violence," the notification, signed by state Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal, read.

As per the notification, only one dependent family member of a victim will be considered for appointment. The eligible dependents will include the spouse, son, daughter, or third-gender child of the deceased or dependent unmarried siblings, the notification read.

The District Magistrate and a screening committee will go through the applications within 90 days of filing, with state-level appeals available. "The claim that the death occurred due to political violence will have to be certified by a district-level screening committee based on the First Information Report, chargesheet and charges framed by a court," the notification read.

"Eligible candidates shall submit application to the District Magistrate in which district the incident occurred, along with copies of the death certificate, documentary proof of relationship with the deceased person, the First Information Report, chargesheet and charges framed by the court relating to the incident," the notification read.

The application will go to the District Level Screening Committee, which will be constituted in every district. The committee will be headed by the District Magistrate as its chairperson, and its members will comprise the Superintendent of Police (or Deputy Commissioner of Police) and one officer to be nominated by the Home and Hill Affairs Department.

The State Level Committee, on the other hand, will be headed by the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department as chairperson and shall consider appeals against the decisions of the District Level Screening Committee. Representatives of the Law Department, Finance Department, Director General and Inspector General of Police, Kolkata Police Commissioner will be the members of the State Level Committee.

According to the notification, training, probation, confirmation, seniority and other allied service conditions of those appointed under the Scheme will be governed by the extant rules applicable to Group-D posts.

The applicant must have attained 18 years of age as on January 1, 2026, and should not have crossed the maximum age limit prescribed for Group D recruitment on the date of application, it said. The screening committee may recommend relaxation in educational qualifications and age limits, depending on the circumstances of the affected family, the notification added.

"No additional benefit will be available if a family member has already received a compassionate appointment or government employment in connection with the same incident," an official said.

The notification, however, clarified that eligibility to apply would not automatically confer a right to appointment, which would remain subject to the screening committee's recommendation, availability of posts, police verification and medical examination.

The scheme will come into force from the date of its publication in the official gazette.

Political violence in the last 25 years

The first 11 years (2001-2011) of the 25 years, West Bengal was under the CPI(M)-led Left Front rule. During this period, most of the political violence targeted members of the Opposition Congress and the Trinamool Congress, which was founded in 1998. After TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011, political violence against the Opposition - now the Left Front - increased. The 2013 panchayat elections saw widespread violence with dozens of deaths reported.

The 2016 Assembly elections and 2018 panchayat elections also recorded widespread clashes, crude bomb attacks, and a high percentage of uncontested seats. By 2019, BJP became the main Opposition party, which accused the ruling TMC of targeting its workers.

Soon after coming to power earlier this year, the BJP government in West Bengal directed the state police to review all cases of political violence that took place in 2021 following the TMC's victory in the Assembly polls.