Election officials carrying EVM machines on their way to their polling booth. (Express photo by Partha Paul) A DAY after West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh described as “bad boys” the four men killed in CISF firing outside a polling booth in Cooch Behar, prompting a furious backlash from the ruling TMC, another senior state leader of the party, Rahul Sinha, went a step further and said the security forces should have killed eight people instead.
“Not four, eight people should have been shot dead in Sitalkuchi. The Central forces should be issued a showcause notice asking why they killed only four and not eight…Goons are trying to deprive people of their democratic rights. Central forces responded appropriately. If it happens again, they will answer again,” Sinha said.
Blaming the TMC for a fifth death that occurred that day in a separate incident of poll violence, he said: “An 18-year-old boy was shot dead in public at a polling station for supporting BJP and their leader is Mamata Banerjee.”
Sinha was speaking to reporters on Sunday evening while campaigning in his constituency in Habra.
On Monday, the TMC lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against “inflammatory, inciting statements” made by Ghosh and Sinha, and said they were “instigating violence against the electorate in West Bengal”.
The party demanded strict legal action with criminal proceedings against the two leaders and orders to restrain them from campaigning in the remaining phases.
Slamming Sinha for his remarks, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said during a public meeting: “Their leaders said eight and not four people should have been killed. These are the leaders of our country.” TMC leader and state minister Jyotipriya Mallick said “the Election Commission should ban” the BJP.
On Saturday, during the fourth phase of voting, CISF personnel opened fire at a mob that attacked them and tried to snatch their weapons outside a polling station in Sitalkuchi, leading to the deaths of four men who were later identified as TMC workers.
According to police, local residents stormed the polling station following rumours in the area that a boy had been beaten by CISF personnel. Police said the boy had, in fact, fallen ill and been taken to hospital.
The dead were identified as Hamidul Mian (31), Monirujjaman Mian (28), Noor Alam Mian (20) and Samiul Haq (18), all from Jorpatki village. BJP state chief Ghosh had described those who were killed as “dustu chelera (bad boys)” and said there will be similar incidents if they do not behave.
In a separate incident in Sitalkuchi, a first-time voter, Anand Barman (18), was shot dead, allegedly by miscreants, when he queued up to vote in Pathantuli.
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