The recent attack on a Republic TV journalist in Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal is not an isolated incident. It is part of a growing and disturbing pattern of political thuggery, media muzzling, and blatant lawlessness. What is unfolding in Bengal is not just a state’s failure to uphold law and order—it is the steady unravelling of democracy itself under the guise of “federal autonomy.” The silence of the Centre in the face of such escalating violence only deepens public concern. Reports suggest that the Republic TV correspondent was assaulted while covering local political developments involving the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The footage is chilling. And the message it sends is clearer: criticize the TMC or its supremo, Mamata Banerjee, dare to question her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, and you risk being heckled, beaten, or worse. The TMC’s foot soldiers, emboldened by a culture of impunity, now appear to consider physical violence a legitimate form of counter-argument. Sadly, Bengal today has become a dystopia where not just opposition voices but journalists—especially those deemed “unfriendly”—are targeted with venom. The Fourth Estate, supposed to function as the watchdog of democracy, is being hunted instead. This incident follows a long line of attacks: women being paraded naked and assaulted, Hindu homes vandalised during local riots, temples desecrated, and now, reporters being brutalised for doing their job. Where does it end? The complicity of the state machinery is unmistakable. FIRs are delayed or denied. Police look away. Cases are buried. And Mamata Banerjee, with her now-familiar swagger, shrugs off the growing national outrage with disdain. For a leader who once styled herself as a champion of human rights, her government’s descent into authoritarianism is not just ironic—it is tragic.
What’s even more worrying is the near-total silence of the so-called liberal intelligentsia and media collectives who erupt in choreographed indignation whenever similar incidents happen in other BJP-ruled states. Where are their social media threads and press conferences now? Freedom of the press is selective. The life of a journalist is worth defending only if the attacker wears saffron. But perhaps the most disquieting silence of all is that of the Centre. How long can Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government afford to be a bystander? Time and again, law and order in West Bengal has collapsed, often under communal tensions, yet the Centre invokes “federalism” and washes its hands of intervention. True, law and order is a state subject. But when a state government consistently fails to protect its own people—especially its women, minorities, and the media—the Union cannot remain a mute spectator under the pretext of constitutional restraint. The Constitution of India also enjoins the Centre to ensure that states do not descend into “constitutional breakdown.” Has West Bengal not already crossed that line? The assault on the Republic journalist must be seen not merely as an attack on an individual but as a broader strike on press freedom and civil liberty. If the role of the press is to question power, then the role of the Centre is to ensure that the press can function without fear. The BJP at the Centre cannot cry foul about TMC goondaism during elections and then retreat into silence once the ballots are counted. That would be both cowardice and betrayal. It is time for urgent, visible action. Whether that means invoking Article 355 to remind the state of its constitutional responsibilities, sending fact-finding teams, or backing the affected journalists with legal support and protection, the Modi government must act, and act now. The people of Bengal—and indeed the rest of India—are watching. Democracy does not just exist in darkness, but also in silence. And today, in Mamata’s Bengal, both are descending thick and fast.
