At least four people were killed in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, after central forces opened fire in “self defence” against “miscreants” during the fourth phase of polling in the State.

Phase IV of the Assembly polls in West Bengal also saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashing out at Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, for unnecessarily “instigating” her workers against security personnel. 

During two public rallies held on Saturday -- in Siliguri and Krishnanagar -- the Prime Minister attacked the State's Chief Minister for repeated insinuations and trying to “foment violence” on poll days by “attacking central forces”. The idea, he alleged, was to create an ambience of fear and violence - like in the past - so that people do not come out to vote in large numbers. 

Incidentally, Banerjee has been repeatedly unleashing verbal volleys on the central forces in the last few rallies. She has also been asking her workers to “gherao” and fight it out with the security people. She is reportedly not happy with the huge deployment of central forces in the state during polls. A few days back, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, too had pointed out that it was “unthinkable of a sitting Chief Minister” to use “such language against central forces”. 

West Bengal is voting in an unprecedented 8 phase, in view of past instances of political violence.  So far, the voter turnout has been above 80 per cent in three phases; while in the fourth phase voter turnout stood at over 66 per cent till 3 PM. 

Firing & deaths

Sources said that four people died after central forces had opened fire at a polling booth in “self-defence”, after a mob of 150-odd people attacked the security personnel and tried to “snatch away their weapons”. In another place, one person reportedly died after miscreants had opened fire. Both the incidents had taken place in Sitalkuchi at Cooch Behar in the northern West Bengal. 

The BSF, in a statement, on the first incident claimed one of their constables “was attacked by a mob” after they tried to clear the people “who were resisting voters from reaching polling booths”. The team “reacted in self-defence” and fired six rounds. After an hour, another mob of 150 persons began manhandling and beating up the polling staff on duty at this booth. “Miscreants tried to snatch weapons of CISF personnel deployed there and were advancing aggressively. Sensing imminent danger, they fired seven more rounds towards the advancing mob of miscreants,” the statement said adding, “Five to six miscreants sustained fatal injuries and further they succumbed to injuries." 

Political blame game 

The deaths sparked off an instant political blame-game between TMC and BJP.  The TMC supremo alleged central forces were acting at the behest of the “Union Home Minister, Amit Shah” who was “conspiring against the people”.  Demanding the resignation of Amit Shah, Banerjee, said she will visit the booth on Sunday. “I will take revenge. My revenge will be through EVMs. Central forces are not my enemy. But, Amit Shah is conspiring to kill people,” she said.  

Across poll campaigns, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has time and again attacked Union Home Minister on various grounds, even to the extent of body shaming him.  Prime Minister Modi, on the other hand, blamed Banerjee and her “politics of violence”.  “Polls took place peacefully in four other states. No where did any firing take place. But here, the TMC and Chief Minister are giving special instructions to party cadres to attack central forces,” he said at a rally.  

Sensing imminent defeat, TMC was now afraid that it was “unable to rig poll” and was “hence resorting to violence”, Modi alleged.  “Didi, the problem is not the Election Commission or the central forces. The problem is actually you. You are resorting to poll violence like the previous years; you tried to intimidate voters; you are now speaking ill of the central forces as you can sense that the people are angry. This Bengal election is no more a Didi versus BJP fight. It has become a Mamata Banerjee versus the people of Bengal fight. You know, you cannot defeat the people. Hence the criticism, canvassing of votes on communal lines and insinuations,” the Prime Minister said at one of the rallies. 

More violence

Sporadic instances of violence rocked Phase-IV of polls in West Bengal.  Forty-four constituencies in the State, across districts like Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Howrah, Hooghly and South 24 Parganas are going to polls today.  BJP MP Locket Chatterjee’s car was attacked at Chunchura in Hooghly and bricks hurled at her allegedly by Trinamool workers; while Union Minister Babul Supriyo (who is the party’s candidate in Tollygunge) has alleged false voting in one of the booths.  

In the north Bengal region, the TMC candidate Udayan Guha, at Dinhata (Cooch Behar) was attacked allegedly by BJP workers.  Clashes have been reported - between BJP and Trinamool - in areas like Behala (Kolkata) , Howrah and Sitalkuchi (Cooch Behar) and Chunchura and so on.

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