Mamata calls Cooch Behar killings genocide, Shah warns her against appeasement politics over bodies
The killing of fourpersons in CISF firing at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar districthas triggered a political storm in West Bengal, with ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee Sunday calling it a “genocide” andUnion Home Minister Amit Shah warning her against doing”appeasement politics” over bodies.
The TMC chief said the Election Commissions decisionto bar the entry of politicians in Cooch Behar district for 72hours was aimed at “suppressing facts” and asserted she willvisit the area by April 14.
“There was genocide at Sitalkuchi. I would like tovisit the area by April 14. The EC is trying to suppress factsby restricting entry in Cooch Behar. We have an incompetenthome minister and an incompetent central government,” Banerjeesaid launching no-holds barred attack on the BJP-ledgovernment at the centre.
The feisty TMC chief also spoke to the brother of oneof the deceased over a video call, who was heard saying thatthe jawans had opened fire on the voters standing in a queue.
Four persons died as CISF personnel opened fireallegedly after coming under attack from locals, who”attempted to snatch their rifles” while voting was underwayin Sitalkuchi on Saturday.
Wreaths were laid on the bodies, draped in TMC flags, atthe spot where the incident took place, following which theywere buried.
Shah, on the other hand, alleged that Banerjees advice togheraeo central forces had instigated people to attack theCISF personnel, which led to the killings.
“Mamata had advised people to gheraeo central forces.
Is that not responsible for the deaths in Sitalkuchi? Heradvice had instigated the people to attack the CISF. She hasgiven rise to the situation of firing,” Shah told reportersafter a roadshow in Shantipur in Nadia district.
He also said that he will resign if people of the countryand West Bengal as him to do so, while asserting that Banerjeewill have to quit on May 2, when the results of the assemblyelections will be declared.
The TMC chief has demanded Shahs resignation over theCooch Behar killings, the latest flashpoint between rival TMCand BJP which is expected to have its bearing on the next fourphases of the elections for the 294-member Bengal house.
Her party also took out massive protest rallies acrossthe state, naming him as the conspirator of the incident,senior party leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said.
“Didi has been asking for my resignation, I willresign when the people ask me to, but you remain prepared tosurely put in your papers on May 2,” Shah said at a publicmeeting at Basirhat in North 24 Parganas.
“If the people of the country and West Bengal ask formy resignation, I am ready to do so with my head bowed,” hesaid.
Apart from the four deaths in what the CISF describedas a “self-defence action”, a BJP worker was also shot dead byunidentified persons in the same Sitalkuchi assemblyconstituency during the fourth phase of voting on Saturday.
Shah alleged that Banerjee did appeasement politics bypaying tributes to the people killed in the CISF firing butdid not condole the death of the BJP worker, identified asAnand Barman, as he was from the Rajbongshi community who arenot her vote bank.
“Didi is shedding tears for the four persons who diedin the CISF firing but not for the fifth man. She is not eventaking his name. No chief minister should do this. All deathsare equally unfortunate,” he said.
Shah said no TMC worker will be killed after the BJPassumes power in West Bengal and strict action will be takenif any such incident takes place.
Banerjee, while addressing a rally at Baneswar inCooch Behar district on April 7, had alleged that CRPFpersonnel were harassing and killing people at Shahs behest.
She had advised people to “form groups to gheraocentral forces and keep them busy by talking to them”, whileothers will quickly go to polling stations and cast theirvotes.
Noting that polling in the four phases was by andlarge peaceful, Shah appealed to all the political parties toabide by the Election Commission rules in the next fourphases.
He claimed that five BJP workers have died during theongoing elections but Banerjee has not issued a statement.
Meanwhile, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh courted freshcontroversy by saying that more Cooch Behar-like killings mayhappen in the next phase of assembly elections on April 17 if”naughty boys like the ones who died in Sitalkuchi” try totake the law into their hands.
“Naughty boys received bullets at Sitalkuchi. If anyonedares to take the law into his hands, this will happen to himalso,” Ghosh said without elaborating on the phrase naughtyboys.
“The naughty boys, who had presumed that the rifles of thecentral forces were just for a show during election duty, willnot dare repeat the same mistake after seeing what happened inSitalkuchi,” he said, while addressing an election rally atBaranagar in North 24 Parganas district.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)