Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 10: Five people were killed, one in firing by some miscreants and four in police firing, outside a polling booth in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar as the poll-related violence reached a new high in West Bengal during the fourth of the eight-phase voting on Saturday.
Both the main contenders for power in the state, the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, trying to make in-roads into the eastern India state, blamed each other for encouraging violence and demanded action by the Election Commission of India against their leaders.
While the prime minister Narendra Modi, who was holding an election rally at Siliguri around the time the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) opened fire on people outside the polling booth in Sitalkuchi, immediately turned his attention on the TMC chief and the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee accusing her of “stooping so low” to shed blood of her own people.
Banerjee and the TMC leader and MP Saugata Roy squarely blamed Modi and the union home minister Amit Shah for the incident and said these two BJP leaders were using the central forces to harass and “now even kill” the WB voters because they have refused to support the BJP.
The Election Commission, however, claimed that the CAPF forces deployed in the area for maintaining law and order during the elections was forced to open fire “in self-defence” after some people attacked the policemen on duty and attempted to snatch away firearms from them. Earlier in the morning, a first time voter standing in the queue to cast his vote was killed when some miscreants fired at him from point blank range. The TMC claimed all the five killed were the party’s supporters.
Reacting to the poll-related violence, the Prime Minister said, “What happened in Cooch Behar is very saddening. My sympathies are with the families of those who died, I condole their demise. Didi & her goons are perturbed, seeing the people’s support for BJP. She has stooped to this level as she can see her chair slipping away.”
“I would like to tell Didi, TMC & their goons clearly that their ways will not be allowed to work in Bengal. I urge the Election Commission to take strict action against the accused of the incident in Cooch Behar,” Modi said in Siliguri.
The Prime Minister told Mamata Banerjee that the violence can’t protect her from ten years of ill-governance. “Didi, this violence, tactics of instigating people to attack the Security Forces, the tactics of obstructing the polling process will not protect you. This violence can’t protect you from the 10 years of your ill-governance.”
Targeting the BJP for the CAPF firing, Saugata Roy called it an “effort to intimidate voters.” “Why did the Central Armed Police Forces fire? Where do they get this audacity of firing on common voters?” Roy asked adding “This is a part of a conspiracy and we do not think that the PM is out of this conspiracy.”
Further lashing out at the BJP, Roy said “the firing took place because common people were resisting the effort by their hooligans to disrupt the voting.” “They are being encouraged by the Central Armed Police Force,” Roy added. Roy also demanded the resignation of Amit Shah saying, “We feel this is a conspiracy headed by Union home minister.”
Following the incident, the Election Commission ordered adjourning of voting in Polling Station 126 of Sitalkuchi assembly constituency.
Modi criticizing Banerjee over the incident said, “Didi and her goons have become jittery seeing the people’s support in favour of the BJP. Seeing her rule coming to an end, Didi has stooped to this level. But I would like to make it clear to the TMC that this won’t work in Bengal,” Modi said.
The TMC has also called for protests against the firing. Banerjee has decided to hold a protest rally in Cooch Behar on Sunday. Mamata will also visit the home of those who died in the firing, Roy said. “Our party workers will hold protests in every block and ward of West Bengal over the firing in Cooch Behar,” he said.
Banerjee, however, mistakenly held the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) responsible for the firing stating, “CRPF is not my enemy but there’s a conspiracy going around under the instruction of Home Minister & today’s incident is a proof.” To this the CRPF was quick to issue a clarification. It said, “Regarding recent incident being reported in media about killing of 4 civilians outside booth 126, Jorpatki in Sitalkuchi Assembly Constituency, Cooch Behar, it’s clarified that CRPF component was neither deployed at the said booth nor involved in the incident in any way.”
Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien reacted to the violence and tweeted, “When you can’t beat us fair ‘n square, you shoot and kill. MO-SHA, you killers. At your command, EC recently changed DG, ADG of Bengal police and the SP of the area where killings took place today. 5 dead. You both have blood on your hands. But then you are used to the feeling.”
Forty-four seats, including nine in Howrah district, 11 in South 24 Parganas, five in Alipurduar, nine in Cooch Behar and 10 in Hooghly, are holding polls on Saturday. Elections for the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal are being held in eight phases. The votes will be counted on May 2.