At least five people were killed on Saturday in North Bengal, Cooch Behar when central forces opened fire, killing 5 including a first-time voter, identified as Ananda Burman, aged 18-20, in poll-related violence during phase IV voting.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said it was a “planned attack” at a polling booth in Cooch Behar district earlier today, which led to clashes with security forces where the central forces shot at the people, killing 5.
Earlier in the day, at another booth, an 18-year-old first-time voter was killed allegedly after he was shot. The incident took place at booth number 295 at Pathantuli constituency.
Anand Burman was waiting to vote for the first time when clashes broke out. Initial reports suggest firing took place after the fight between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress supporters.
After earlier saying five-party supporters were killed, the Trinamool, in its letter to the Election Commission, said the deaths in Cooch Behar were “cold-blooded murder”.
Mamata Banerjee also said Bengal Police CID (Crime Investigation Department) would conduct a probe into the tragic incident.
“Home Minister Amit Shah is completely responsible for today’s incident and he himself is the conspirator. I don’t blame central forces because they work under Home Minister’s order. We will demand his resignation,” she said, calling the deaths “murder by central forces”.
“The BJP knows it won’t win so it’s resorting to bombs and violence,” she said earlier in the day.
“BSF and the CISF are torturing people in villages. Women, boys, and girls are being threatened that they should vote for the BJP. They have gone and shot people standing in line to vote. Who has given them this courage? So many people were not killed during the panchayat elections,” she said.
“In the state election, 20 people have been killed and 13 of them are from our party,” she added.
The violence triggered this morning after a man fainted at the Sitalkuchi polling booth.
“Till 9:30 everything was fine. One man who had come to vote fainted and his treatment was going on across the booth. As rumors spread, locals thought he was beaten by central forces. Crowds gathered and tried snatching weapons from CISF troops,” police officer Debasish Dhar said.
The Election Commission has got a preliminary report from Vivek Dubey, the special police observer for Bengal, which confirms firing by the central forces and said the central forces opened fire when they came under attack, he added.
MP Derek O’Brien also mentioned “brutal injury” to three others, underlining that “the only mistake the seven people made was that they wished to participate in the festival of democracy”.
The ruling party further sought action against the CAPF officials and Cooch Behar Superintendent of Police Debasish Dhar, whom the party said, was appointed by the Election Commission.
Hitting out at Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi, Mr. O’Brien had earlier tweeted: “When you can’t beat us fair ‘n square, you shoot & kill (sic).”
The Election Commission has posted around 80,000 personnel from the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to guard nearly 16,000 polling stations in the fourth phase. The highest deployment of 187 companies of CAPF – with 100 personnel in each company – is in Cooch Behar.
Troops acted out of ‘self-defense’ and “Paramilitary troops opened fire in self-defense after being challenged by over 400 people,” a senior Election Commission official said, as reported by AFP.
“They also formed a ring around the troops and tried to snatch rifles,” the official was quoted as saying. “Four people were killed in the shooting,” the official added.
