Kolkata: Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari promised a “goon-free Bengal” and vowed to make “rioters homeless” while introducing a bill on preventive detention and another on confiscation of properties of accused in the Assembly on Monday.He assured the House that neither law would be used against those engaged in politics, social service or religious work in accordance with the law. “The laws are only for those involved in anti-social activities,” the CM said.The Assembly passed both bills — West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, and West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — giving the govt sweeping powers to curb organised crime, violence and public disorder. If the previous Trinamool govt properly applied IPC and CrPC, there would not have been any reason to introduce the new laws, the CM said.On the ‘control of anti-social activities bill’, which allows preventive detention of potential violators for up to a year, he said, “Such bills were introduced in several states under different names. Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand have adopted such laws.”Once enacted, the law will empower the govt to take habitual offenders, members of crime syndicates and those accused of activities threatening public safety into preventive detention.The bill states the existing laws are “ineffective and inadequate against nefarious, conspiratorial designs of organised elements, necessitating this new framework to give the state sharper teeth to maintain law and order.”The bill authorises action against individuals or groups whose activities create fear, panic or a sense of insecurity in society, disturb public order, threaten life and property or obstruct lawful trade, business and professional activities. Illegal mining, unauthorised sand extraction and unlawful activities involving forest resources or wildlife have also been brought within the purview of the law.The Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill allows the creation of an independent Claims Commission to assess damage caused to public and private properties during riots, unlawful assemblies, arson and mob violence. The commission can determine the compensation recoverable from those held responsible, with provisions enabling the confiscation and auctioning of their properties, if needed, to recover the loss.“The source of fear is preventive arrest, isn’t it? No more Sandeshkhali. We will deliver justice; we will confiscate property to recover compensation. No loopholes have been left in the current laws. The laws are only applicable to goondas,” the CM said.“Since becoming chief minister, I have ensured that compensation is extracted. It is not merely about sending people to jail. We will confiscate their movable and immovable assets,” Adhikari said.Defending the strict laws, the CM launched a scathing attack against the opposition, accusing both Trinamool Congress and CPM of leaving behind a legacy of political violence.He targeted CPM for introducing “goonda culture” and deploying “harmad” militias in 2001 to suppress democracy. He then accused the previous Trinamool administration of treating Muslims as a vote bank, while failing to ensure that the fruits of economic development reached the community.Assuring the House that the laws will not be misused, Adhikari said the govt will ensure that no damage is caused to public and govt property.Referring to the anti-CAA protests, the unrest over remarks by BJP’s former national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and the multiple incidents of riot, arson and vandalism in various parts of the state against the Waqf Amendment Act, he said all those incidents led to extensive damage to govt properties as well as private homes, shops and businesses.Under the new laws, he said, immovable and movable properties of the accused can be confiscated and auctioned off to recover the loss.While the bills mandate that detainees be informed of the grounds for their detention, they grant authorities the power to withhold specific information if it is deemed against the public interest.