Bengal govt to recover three times the value of property damaged by vandalism under new law

The West Bengal government will recover three times the value of property damaged due to vandalism under a stringent new law to maintain public order, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said while warning that targeting industrial units would lead to heavy financial penalty. At a meeting with members of the civil society and business community in Bhawanipur on Saturday evening, he said everyone has the right to protest, but that should not turn into violence or lead to damaging industrial establishments. If an accused fails to pay the damages, the recovery will be made even by auctioning their properties, the chief minister said. The West Bengal assembly on June 28 passed two law-and-order-related bills aimed at further strengthening the state's powers to tackle organised crime and public disorder. These two legislations are the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Act, which holds individuals financially accountable for damage to public and private property during riots, unlawful assemblies, and violent protests, and the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, which proposes preventive detention for up to 12 months without trial. "If someone forcefully shuts an industrial unit and vandalises it, one will be jailed and pay a penalty three times the damage. If the damaged property is worth Rs 1 crore, they will have to pay Rs 3 crore," he said. The government has said the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Act is aimed at protecting industrial and public assets and strengthening investor confidence by ensuring accountability for destruction of property.