WB panchayat polls: Mamata accuses BSF of intimidating voters, force denies charge

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (June 26) accused the Border Security Force (BSF) of intimidating voters in bordering areas on behalf of the BJP, prompting a strong denial from the border-guarding force, which dubbed the allegation as “far from the truth”.

Banerjee also asked the police to closely watch its activities while criticising the BSF for “shooting innocent villagers”.

“I have information that in the run-up to the panchayat election, some BSF officials are visiting the border areas, threatening people and forcing them not to vote. I urge the voters to fearlessly participate in the polls,” she said at a rally in Cooch Behar.

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Referring to the alleged shooting of villagers by the BSF last year, whom the border force had claimed as smugglers, the CM said, “Police will lodge FIRs in such cases, and the law will take its own course. They don’t have the right to shoot and kill anyone. It seems killing people in Cooch Behar has become a norm. No one is above the law.”

BSF Guwahati Frontier denies Mamata’s charges

In a statement, the BSF Guwahati Frontier, under whose jurisdiction is Cooch Behar, emphatically denied Banerjee’s charges.

“It is to appraise that the allegations leveled against BSF by the CM West Bengal during a rally at Cooch Behar are totally baseless and far from the truth,” the release said.

It said the BSF is a professional force entrusted with the responsibility of securing the international border of India, and “has never intimidated any border population or voters in the bordering areas for any reason.”

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“No complaint of intimidation of any person in the border area has been received so far by BSF or any other sister agency. BSF is fully committed to the peaceful and unhindered electoral process in the border and other areas,” the statement said.

It added that BSF personnel are also being deployed for election duty, which they perform under the overall supervision of the local administration.

Such comments are an insult to our security forces: BJP

The BJP, too, dubbed the chief minister’s allegation of using the BSF to serve its political purpose as baseless.

“Such comments are unacceptable and an insult to our security forces. This reflects the mindset of the TMC, which has been against the BSF since its jurisdiction was increased,” BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said.

The BJP-led central government in 2021 had amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure, and arrest within a 50-km stretch, instead of 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam.

This had snowballed into a major political issue in Bengal, with the ruling TMC passing a resolution in the state assembly opposing the Centre’s decision.

Banerjee also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on Manipur, where over 100 lives have been lost in ethnic strife since May.

“Earlier, we might not have given much importance to panchayat polls, but this time, you have seen how we have conducted the mass outreach campaign. We will ensure that there is no corruption in the panchayat,” she asserted.

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The TMC supremo asked people to send photographs of those who seek bribes, and claimed “prompt action will be taken against the corrupt”.

Taking a swipe at BJP’s slogan of double-engine government, Banerjee said it would deflate in the rural polls and then again in the Lok Sabha elections.

Around 5.67 crore voters are likely to exercise their franchise in the July 8 panchayat polls to elect nearly 75,000 candidates in zilla parishads, panchayat samiti, and gram panchayats.

(With agency inputs)