Stories
Parliamentary Panel to Discuss CAPF Role in West Bengal After TMC Raises Concerns
- •Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien urged the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs to examine alleged "police atrocities and brutality" by CAPF personnel in West Bengal.
- •O'Brien submitted a three-page letter to committee chairman Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, prompting a proposed discussion on the CAPF's role.
- •The committee agreed to broaden the discussion beyond West Bengal to examine the role of CAPFs more generally.
- •O'Brien highlighted the significant deployment of over 2.4 lakh CAPF personnel in West Bengal during the 2026 assembly elections and 70,000 personnel remaining post-election.
- •The TMC MP alleged continued violence in the state, with TMC workers disproportionately targeted, amid ongoing BJP-TMC accusations.
Key Questions Answered
The parliamentary panel is set to discuss the role and deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) after Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien submitted a letter alleging police atrocities and brutality in West Bengal. Committee chairman Radha Mohan Das Agarwal also suggested widening the discussion to examine the broader role of CAPFs nationwide rather than restricting it solely to West Bengal.
More than 2.4 lakh Central Armed Police Forces personnel were deployed in West Bengal during the 2026 assembly elections. This figure compares with about 3.4 lakh personnel who were deployed across the country during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
TMC MP Derek O'Brien stated that more than 700 companies, amounting to roughly 70,000 personnel, continued to remain deployed in West Bengal after the assembly polls to help prevent post-election violence. The deployment followed ongoing political tensions and allegations of targeted violence against TMC workers and supporters in the state.
