News Analysis India

Tag: Cooch Behar firing

  • WB elections: My phone is being tapped, will order CID probe, says Mamata Banerjee

    By PTI
    GALSI (West Bengal): A day after a purported audio tape -in which she is heard proposing a rally with the bodies of Cooch Behar firing victims- surfaced, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that her phone is being tapped and said she will order a CID probe into it.

    Addressing an election rally here, she accused the BJP of being involved in the conspiracy as the saffron party “cannot match” the ruling Trinamool Congress’ campaigning on development programmes.

    “They (BJP leaders) are even eavesdropping on our everyday conversation. It seems they are tapping our phone calls on cooking and other household chores.

    “I will order a CID probe into it and not spare anyone involved in such snooping activities. I have already come to know who is behind this,” the TMC supremo said.

    Banerjee also claimed she has information that the “central forces are being involved in such acts with some agents”.

    “It is clear that the BJP is behind it though they claimed they have no role in it,” she said.

    A controversy had erupted on Friday after the BJP released the purported audio clip in which Banerjee is heard telling the Trinamool Congress nominee of Sitalkuchi to hold rallies with bodies of the four persons killed in CISF firing during polling on April 10.

    Claiming that such a conversation never took place, the TMC had described the audio clip as “bogus” and wondered whether the Centre was tapping a chief minister’s phone.

    Launching an attack on the Election Commission (EC) for not clubbing the remaining three phases of the ongoing assembly elections into one, she accused the poll panel of paying heed to the demands of the BJP.

    “You (EC) have curtailed the campaigning hours, and in the name of COVID restrictions, you are doing whatever the BJP demands.”

    Worried over the COVID-19 surge, Banerjee had on Thursday urged the Election Commission to think about conducting polls for the remaining assembly seats at one go, while also stressing that her party had opposed the prolonged eight-phase poll schedule.

    The EC has curtailed the time for the campaigning up to 7 pm.

    Earlier, it was up to 10 pm.

    The poll panel also extended the silence period from 48 hours to 72 hours in each of the remaining three phases of the elections to be held on April 22, 26 and 29.

    “Street meetings are usually held in the evening hours in the summer. The decision was taken purposely to reduce the number of my campaign meetings,” Banerjee said.

    She also alleged that the EC is “favouring” the saffron party so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah can address all their poll rallies.

    She once again blamed the BJP for bringing outsiders during campaigning and exacerbating the COVID-19 situation in the state.

    “The pandemic situation was not as alarming in Bengal as that of Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh. But the sudden surge in coronavirus cases is due to the presence of outsiders who came in the state without RT-PCR tests,” she said.

    Banerjee also condoled the death of Congress candidate Rezaul Haque and Revolutionary Socialist Party nominee Pradip Kumar Nandi, who tested positive for COVID-19.

    She flayed the prime minister for not acting on the state government’s suggestion to vaccinate every citizen in the past six months when the spread of the virus was much less.

    “This has led to the present situation when walls are being raised in Lucknow to hide the view of cremation of bodies and the pandemic took a heavy death toll in Gujarat,” the TMC chief said.

    She accused Modi and Shah of making a false promise to extend financial aid to members of the Matua community and said they have done nothing for backward castes and dalits.

    Accusing the two BJP leaders of peddling lies at poll rallies, the TMC supremo said, “They are saying that we are making false promises.

    We are running the Kanyashree project and beneficiaries are getting the aid.

    Can he explain what happened to the PM Cares fund? Who benefited from demonetisation?”

  • CID takes over probe in Cooch Behar CISF firing that killed four

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal CID Friday took over the case of killing of four people in firing by the CISF during polling in Cooch Behar district on April 10, a senior government official said.

    A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been constituted to conduct the probe in the incident which happened during the fourth phase of polling at Sitalkuchi.

    The incident had set off an acrimonious war of words between the ruling TMC and challenger BJP, and triggered public outrage.

    Investigators will visit booth number 126/5 in Jorpatki in Sitalkuchi assembly constituency where CISF personnel had opened fire after they allegedly came under attack from a group of villagers.

    The TMC has claimed those killed were its supporters who were gunned down when they were standing in queue to cast their votes.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the TMC chief, had called the incident a “genocide”.

    Besides talking to witnesses and recording their statements, the SIT will algo go through vodeo footage of the incident.

    A video clip has emerged on social media, the officer said, adding a forensic test will likely be conducted to establish its authenticity.

    The SIT will also talk to officers and personnel of the local police station who rushed to the scene soon after the incident.

    The Election Commission had cancelled the voting at the polling station after the incident and imposed a ban on entry of politicians into Cooch Behar for 72 hours apprehending trouble.

    Banerjee had visited Sitalkuchi on Wednesday and met the families of the victims.

    PTI SCH SK SK 04161304 NNNN

  • FIR against Mamata Banerjee in Cooch Behar for ‘instigating’ people to gherao central forces

    By PTI
    COOCH BEHAR: An FIR has been lodged against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a police station here, alleging that she instigated voters to gherao central forces and that, in turn, led to the incident of firing in Sitalkuchi and the subsequent death of four persons.

    Siddique Ali Mia, the zilla president of BJP’s minority cell in Cooch Behar, cited the TMC supremo’s comments during a rally in Banerswar area as he filed a complaint on Wednesday claiming that her address provoked people to attack CISF personnel during the fourth phase of state elections.

    He attached a video clip of Banerjee’s speech in his complaint at Mathabhanga police station.

    Villagers, after being provoked by such provocative statements of Mamata Banerjee, tried to snatch fire arms of the deployed paramilitary forces, Mia said.

    “The said villagers including women launched attack upon the paramilitary forces with the intention of causing bodily injury, knowing it to be likely to cause death of the deployed paramilitary forces,” he wrote in the FIR, a copy of which is with the PTI.

    The BJP leader, when contacted, said he would launch a massive protest demanding the chief minister’s arrest, if the police “sit idle” on the FIR in the next few days.

    “She is solely responsible for the death of those four people. She is answerable to all the voters of our district,” Mia stated.

    At least four persons died outside a polling booth in Sitalkuchi assembly constituency on April 10 when CISF personnel opened fire in “self defence” allegedly after coming under attack from locals.

    The Election Commission had suspended the voting exercise at the booth following the incident.

    In its statement, the EC said, “The joint report of the two special observers has been received …wherein they interalia stated that recourse to open fire by the CISF personnel became absolutely necessary in order to save the lives of the voters lined up at the polling booth, those of other polling personnel and their own lives as the mob had attempted snatching their weapons.”

    The poll panel had also banned political leaders from entering the district for three days.

    Banerjee met the family members of those killed in the firing on Wednesday.

  • Central forces did the right thing, says BJP’s Rahul Sinha on Cooch Behar firing

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: A day after Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh courted a controversy as he warned of more Cooch Behar-like killings, another senior leader of the party, Rahul Sinha, said on Monday that the central forces, if deemed fit, could have shot dead more than four persons in the district in its bid to thwart attempts of vote-rigging.

    Ghosh had on Sunday said more Cooch Behar-like killings may happen in the next phase of assembly elections if “naughty boys like the ones who died in Sitalkuchi” try to take the law into their hands.

    ALSO READ | Mamata Banerjee says BJP killing own cadre, promises to probe Cooch Behar shooting

    Sinha, who was in the Habra area of North 24 Parganas, told reporters, “Miscreants sheltered by TMC supremo (Mamata Banerjee) are shooting innocent BJP supporters in polling booths. Her goons are taking away the voting rights of common people. The central forces did the right thing by opening fire on these miscreants.”

    He further went on to say that “the central forces, in its effort to stop rigging, could have shot dead more than four maybe seven or eight – if necessary”.

    His remarks drew sharp reactions from various political parties.

    ALSO READ | Cooch Behar firing: EC’s clean chit to CISF based on hypothetical reports, says CPM’s Biman Bose 

    The TMC boss, without naming Sinha, said at a public meeting, “A BJP leader has said eight people should have been shot dead by the central forces on Saturday. I condemn this statement. Such leaders should be banned from politics.”

    Urging the Election Commission to take note of the remarks made by Ghosh and Sinha, CPI(M) candidate from Jadavpur Sujan Chakraborty said, “These comments reflect the fascist nature of the BJP.

    The poll panel should initiate action against these leaders for such irresponsible comments.”

    Chakraborty also claimed that “certain statements made by Banerjee are also triggering violence in the poll-bound state, and fanning the flames of polarisation”.

  • Cooch Behar firing: Gloom descends on Bengal village as bodies taken for burial

    By PTI
    SITALKUCHI: A pall of gloom prevailed at Jorepatki village on Sunday as the bodies of four persons, who died when CISF personnel opened fire allegedly after coming under attack from locals, were taken for burial by the bereaved families.

    Wreaths were laid on the bodies, draped in Trinamool Congress flags, by the party’s district president Partha Pratim Roy at a ground near the school premises where the incident of firing had taken place.

    The four people who were killed in CISF firing during the fourth phase of polling at a booth in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar district on Saturday hailed from the village.

    Wearing black badges, villagers and relatives of the deceased went around the village with the bodies to protest the deaths.

    Tension was palpable in the area as people holding black flags walked in a procession with the bodies.

    Claiming that the central forces opened fire on people, who were standing in a queue outside the booth at Jorepatki school, the villagers demanded justice and action against those responsible for the incident.

    Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee spoke to kin of the deceased over phone.

  • Cooch Behar firing: Mamata Banerjee questions self-defence version of central forces, orders CID probe

    By PTI
    SILIGURI: Questioning the version that central forces fired on voters “in self-defence” in Cooch Behar district killing four persons, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that her government will initiate a CID probe into the incident.

    Banerjee said that there is no video footage or any other proof to substantiate the claims of the central forces.

    Four persons were killed as central forces opened fire allegedly after coming under attack from locals, who “attempted to snatch their rifles” near a booth in Sitalkuchi constituency in North Bengal when polling was underway.

    According to official sources, the preliminary report submitted by the EC’s special police observer Vivek Dubey said that a huge mob of around 350-400 people had gheraoed the central forces, following which they fired in “self-defence”.

    “Where does this theory (of firing in self-defence) come from? Who was injured on their part? Is there any footage? After killing those people, they were supporting the act,” she told reporters at Siliguri, the largest city of North Bengal.

    ALSO READ | West Bengal polls: EC bans entry of politicians in Cooch Behar district for 72 hours

    A CID probe will be initiated to find out the circumstances behind the incident, the CM added.

    “The police are under the Election Commission now.

    But as the head of an elected government, it is my duty to order a probe by an organisation like the CID to find out who were behind the incident, how it took place and other details,” she said.

    Banerjee demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the firing incident, and wondered whose “direct interference into the functioning of the Election Commission and central forces” led to the excesses.

    “Instead of lying that the security personnel fired in self-defence, the prime minister should have visited the Mathabhanga Hospital where the bodies are kept.

    He should have met the injured and the family of the deceased,” she said.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election meeting at Siliguri earlier in the day and extended his condolences to the bereaved families, besides urging the Election Commission to take action against those responsible for the incident.

    Banerjee said that she would visit Mathabhanga Hospital on Sunday morning.

    “The PM and the (Union) home minister are threatening us every day. It is Article 356 type situation in the state,” she said.

    Article 356 of the Constitution is invoked to bring a state under President’s Rule.

    “The officers appointed by the EC ahead of the election are reporting to the union home ministry, not to the (state) government,” Banerjee said.

    Describing this as a “shameful act”, she appealed to chief ministers of states ruled by non-NDA parties to see how the BJP is allegedly ruining democracy.

    Banerjee said that Officer on Special Duty Ashok Chakraborty who was posted in her security was on Friday removed days after his retirement from the Railway Protection Force, EC Special Observer Vivek Dubey was brought back for the second time after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls despite his superannuation years back.

    Wondering how many times Modi had visited other poll- bound states including Left-ruled Kerala, she said, “They (BJP) are targeting Bengal as I am fighting the battle, a woman is fighting them alone.” On the EC’s notice to her for allegedly violating the model code of conduct for her remarks on central forces, Banerjee said that she did not break any norm.

    “I only appealed for fair election as security forces are terrorising people at the instruction of Amit Shah.

    I came across this in Nandigram (her constituency) during the second phase of polling,” she said.

    She claimed that 18 people were killed in violence since the first phase on March 27 and 13 of them were TMC workers.

    “They (EC) are accusing me of violating the model code while in reality, I am speaking against this spiral of violence,” Banerjee said.

    “I am only asking people to come out to vote in large numbers. I am telling people that one vote will be the reply to one bullet. I am only insisting that the EC should not act in a one-sided manner,” she said.

    Banerjee said that the TMC will hold demonstrations demanding Shah’s resignation in every block of the state from 2 pm on Sunday.