Some malaises run deeper than the rest. West Bengal’s entrenched culture of political violence is a case in point. This year’s assembly election had been far more peaceful than those in the past. But the hope that the relatively undisturbed polls generated seems to be evaporating fast in the face of several incidents of blood and gore that have been witnessed since. The most shocking among these has been the murder of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of Suvendu Adhikari, on Wednesday. The assailants must be punished by honouring due procedure. Political vendetta has raised its ugly head in other forms too. The heart of Calcutta saw an instance of the dreaded bulldozer action that is now common in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party; this is a form of ‘justice’ that threatens to upend the rule of law itself. Consequently, minority-dominated areas in the city remain apprehensive. Several offices of the erstwhile ruling party have been attacked and blood has been drawn in the hinterland too, with both the BJP and the Trinamool Congress pointing fingers at each other.

The police have swung into action: bulldozers have been banned in victory rallies; senior officials have warned that stern action will be taken against security personnel who fail to act against political violence. Why did the police wait for a nudge from the authorities before showing such firmness? Pre-emptive action could have prevented some such mischief. Hearteningly, Samik Bhattacharya, one of the BJP’s principal leaders, has made it clear that the party would not allow the saffron outfit to be afflicted by the TMC’s warts. In other words, the BJP would not indulge in the kind of retaliatory vengeance that had been synonymous with the TMC and, earlier, with the Left Front. The BJP’s rank and file must adhere to Mr Bhattacharya’s directive. It will send an early positive signal to the people of a state perennially wary about electoral politics tinged with blood. If the BJP follows up its pledge with performance that is unbiased — the rule of law should be equally applied to protect all communities — it would be able to gain further political capital while cementing its claim of being a party with a difference. Bengal awaits a BJP that can plug the breach between word and deed.