"Anti-Goonda Bill" clears Bengal Assembly; It approves asset confiscation for property damage

The West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a stringent new legislation aimed at crushing organized crime and political vandalism across the state. The West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026—popularly known as the "anti-Goonda Bill"—was cleared by the house following an intense legislative debate. The bill secured an overwhelming majority on the floor, with 176 lawmakers voting in favor of its implementation and 41 opposition members voting against it.

Defending the sweeping parameters of the proposed law, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari clarified to the assembly that the legislation’s core objective is not merely focused on incarcerating lawbreakers. Instead, the law establishes a strict, legally binding framework to recover monetary damages for any destruction caused to public or government infrastructure. Adhikari emphasized that under his administration, the state will actively move to confiscate the movable and immovable personal assets of rioters and anti-social elements to compensate for societal losses.

During his address, the Chief Minister launched a scathing political attack on the previous Trinamool Congress regime, accusing them of systematically patronizing a specific community for electoral appeasement since 2019. Adhikari invoked the high-profile murders of CPI(M) voters Haragobinda Das and Chandan Das, highlighting the immense trauma their families endured without receiving justice. He asserted that the era of unchecked vandalism of public property is over, promising that the new law will be enforced with absolute transparency and zero political misuse.