Over the previous few days, pressure had been simmering in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi, the place central forces opened hearth at a mob exterior a polling sales space that led to the dying of 4 folks on Saturday. The incident has now occupied the centre stage of West Bengal politics amidst a blame recreation.
Bu there have been sufficient indications of an impending hassle. On April 7, chief minister Mamata Banerjee held rallies in an adjoining space, asking folks to gherao Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel in the event that they “obstruct voting”. The identical night, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Dilip Ghosh’s convoy was attacked allegedly by ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) employees coming back from the CM’s rallies. The subsequent day, the TMC alleged an obvious “retaliatory” assault on its candidate from the adjoining Mathabhanga seat.
After Saturday’s incident that killed 4 folks — all from the minority group — the TMC alleged central forces have been working underneath the Centre’s stress, whereas the Cooch Behar district administration’s report mentioned the personnel fired solely after the mob attacked them. The incident additionally prompted the TMC to repeat its cost that the Election Commission “appears to be under the command” of the Centre’s ruling BJP.
Meanwhile, the ballot watchdog put a spanner in CM Banerjee’s plans to go to Sitalkuchi on Sunday to satisfy the households of the 4 victims and pay her respects. Hours after the incident, EC banned visits by politicians to Cooch Behar district for the subsequent 72 hours, citing legislation and order points. The TMC will nonetheless maintain protests throughout the state.
After the April 7 assault that seems to have been a warning signal, Ghosh demanded that EC should ban Banerjee from campaigning as her “provocative speeches were instigating one community, and, as a result, a river of blood would flow in the state”. Ghosh mentioned the TMC cadre attacked him with bombs and bricks.
The CM held rallies in Cooch Behar earlier that day, casting suspicion on CAPF. “CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) should not obstruct voting. Gherao CRPF (personnel) if they stop you from voting, especially the women. Then, another lot of voters should go cast their votes. I have no respect for CRPF, which is aligned to the BJP,” Banerjee mentioned in her rallies in Cooch Behar on April 7.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to those feedback by Banerjee throughout his rallies in the state on Saturday, accusing her of instigating folks in opposition to CAPF.
The Cooch Behar administration’s report on the incident to the state’s chief electoral officer talked about that some “300-350 people including women assembled around the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) contingent in a booth in Sitalkuchi” after a misunderstanding, and attacked the personnel and tried to grab their weapons. The report mentioned CISF needed to open hearth in self-defence and to save lots of EVMs (digital voting machines) and polling materials.
While the CM promised a state CID (crime investigation division) probe into the incident, the Prime Minister requested EC to conduct a thorough investigation and “punish the culprits”.
The combat for the Sitalkulchi seat is intense because the TMC gained it in 2011 and 2016, and maintained a lead in this meeting phase in the 2019 nationwide polls even when the BJP swept all Lok Sabha seats in North Bengal.
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