The killing of a close aide of BJP leader and West Bengal Chief Minister-designate Suvendu Adhikari near Kolkata on Wednesday night was the latest chapter in the decades-long cycle of political violence in the state. That this happened despite the presence of a record number of security force personnel present to monitor and prevent post-poll violence in Bengal only seems to highlight its persistence. Biswanath Chakraborty, professor of political science at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata , spoke to The Indian Express about the nature and roots of such violence, what makes it different from that in other states, and what needs to change for it to end. Political violence is not unique to West Bengal: there have been instances in other states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala, among others. What makes Bengal different? In other states, we often notice that caste violence, religious violence, (and) identity involvement are there, and politics comes later on.…