New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday adjourned voting at one polling station of the Sitalkurchi seat in Cooch Behar, West Bengal after violence broke out in the region. There were reportedly clashes between political workers, and the CISF then fired at the crowd leading to four people’s deaths. In a separate incident, an alleged BJP worker was reportedly shot at by miscreants.
Police said the firing occurred after some people tried to “snatch weapons” from the CISF. When asked whether any action has been taken against the CISF personnel, a police officer told PTI, “It is for the EC to decide. As per our reports, they opened fire in self-defence.”
Appealing to people to remain calm, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged armed central police had in fact shot dead people standing in a queue to vote in Sitalkuchi.
The chief minister, speaking at at a public meeting, asked Union home minister Amit Shah to explain why five lives were lost in central forces’ firing.
Claiming she had long apprehended such a situation after watching the “high handedness” of central forces for long, Banerjee said “after killing so many people they (Election Commission) are saying the firing was in self defence. They should feel ashamed. This is a lie.”
“However, I would ask everyone to remain calm and cast their vote peacefully. Avenge the deaths by defeating them,” she said.
Banerjee said that the death toll in this election was far higher than that in the Panchayat elections held three years ago. “If you count the total number of killings since the elections began some 17-18 persons were killed. At least 12 people belonged to our party alone.”
Banerjee said the EC owed the people an explanation on today’s incident. “We are not in charge of the administration. The EC is in charge of administration,” she pointed out.
“They have removed the senior IPS Surajit Kar Purakaystha. They have removed my OSD Ashok Chakraborty, who is a lower ranked retired officer from RPF. Yet the EC bringing in retired officers to oversee polls here,” she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, blamed Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers for the violence.
“What happened in Cooch Behar is unfortunate and sad. I extend my condolences to the bereaved families and urge the Election Commission to take stern action against those responsible for the incident. Mamata Didi and her TMC goons have become jittery because of ground swell of support for BJP,” Modi told an election rally in North Bengal.
(With PTI inputs)
Note: The story has been edited since publication to reflect that four people died after the CISF fired at them and one, due to firing by unknown persons.