A massive fire on June 12 gutted nearly 4,000 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) stored at a nine-storey government building in Alipore, Kolkata. The EVMs — belonging to 10 Assembly constituencies that voted in the 2026 West Bengal elections — were stored under state government custody on the 8th and 9th floors of the building.
West Bengal's Minister of State for Fire Services Kaushik Chowdhury said the pattern of the blaze was "suspicious" — the fire reportedly bypassed the 4th, 5th and 6th floors while destroying the 7th, 8th and 9th floors, where election offices were located.
Kolkata Police registered an FIR and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the origin of the fire and assess whether any deliberate sabotage occurred. Forensic experts were dispatched to collect samples. No cause has been officially established yet.
Why this is a setback: The destruction of 4,000 EVMs in a suspicious fire at a state government facility represents a major institutional security failure, contradicting the promise to establish administrative transparency and the rule of law.
The West Bengal government ordered a major administrative reshuffle transferring 179 IPS and WBPS officers, representing the largest police realignment since the BJP administration took office. The shake-up includes 23 postings within the Kolkata Police and the appointment of new superintendents across 12 police districts.
Notably, the state revived the post of Deputy Commissioner, Detective Department (DC DD) in Kolkata Police after a 17-year gap.
The West Bengal government issued a notification restoring general consent for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate cases within the state under Section 6 of the DSPE Act, 1946. This ends the eight-year revocation of consent implemented by the previous TMC administration in November 2018.
However, the restored consent is conditional, requiring prior permission from the state government for any investigations against public servants controlled by West Bengal.
Critics and opposition leaders continue to query the independence of the CBI, alleging that the agency is weaponized by the central government to target political opponents.
During the selection of the CBI Director on May 12, 2026, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi submitted a formal dissent note, calling the selection process a 'mockery' and alleging that the government denied key candidate evaluation records to the committee.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched a weekly 'Janatar Darbar' (public hearing) at the Salt Lake BJP office. Citizens directly raised grievances, including local syndicate extortion and forced purchases of building materials from local TMC leaders.
The Chief Minister immediately directed the Bidhannagar police (DC) to investigate and take action on the complaints.
However, critics and opposition leaders criticized hosting official public grievance forums at a political party office rather than a state administrative building, arguing it blurs the line between state governance and party operations.
Following street clashes in Kolkata's Park Circus and Rajabazar over the new government's restrictions on offering road prayers (namaz) and loudspeaker volumes, CM Suvendu Adhikari condemned the violence and confirmed that 40 arrests had been made.
The clashes on May 17, 2026, injured ten police personnel and three CAPF members after protesters pelted stones and vandalized vehicles.
The protests erupted in response to the enforcement of the new state policy prohibiting religious activities on public roads to maintain traffic flow, alongside recent administrative demolition and eviction drives in the Tiljala and railway station areas.
As a further step to restore public trust, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari approved CBI investigations into three significant recruitment scams involving teachers, municipalities, and cooperatives. These cases were reportedly stalled under the previous administration. Official filings or FIRs under the new government's mandate are awaited.
From May 11, 2026, West Bengal formally linked to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, replacing the IPC and CrPC. CM confirmed this took effect on the day of the first cabinet meeting, providing formal administrative reaffirmation to ensure proper on-ground implementation from now on.
CM also stated that no existing social welfare schemes will be discontinued — they will continue with greater transparency.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) officially came into force nationwide on July 1, 2024, via a Central MHA Notification. Kolkata's first FIR under BNS was registered in July 2024, and the Aparajita Bill was passed in Sept 2024.
While the Suvendu Adhikari government's May 11 announcement provides a fresh administrative push and formal reaffirmation for these laws, the legal framework had already been established and partially operational under the previous administration, making the claim of a new 'implementation' date debatable.
⚖️ Public Accountability & Permanent Record: This page serves as a long-term historical record. Even after a promise is marked as "Fulfilled," we will continue to post new updates here to track any policy reversals or the long-term efficacy of the scheme on the ground. Any future lapses in implementation will be documented here.