This story is from April 30, 2019

Mamata fumes over CRPF ‘firing’ in Birbhum booth

Mamata fumes over CRPF ‘firing’ in Birbhum booth
Bagdah (North 24 Parganas): Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out following reports that central forces had opened fire in a polling booth in Birbhum’s Dubrajpur. “After entering a booth, CRPF had opened fire. How dare they? Law and order is a state subject,” Banerjee thundered at a public meeting in Bagdah while canvassing support for Trinamool’s Bongaon Lok Sabha candidate Mamata Thakur.
“The CRPF can be deputed in a booth.
But they should stand guard outside. Lathi guli chalano oder kaaj noy (It is not their job to lathicharge or open fire). Egulo rajyer hathe (This is in the state government’s hands). This is a state subject and not a central subject. Ekhane parade korte holeo oder state police ke niye korte hoy (Here they need to have state police with them even for parades),” Banerjee said.
The CM accused BJP of misusing the law and bringing in central forces without depending on the state police and using them to garner votes for themselves. “We know the law. I have heard that complaints were made (before the EC) that the central force personnel have gone inside booths and asked people to vote for BJP. This will not help BJP,” she said. “They do not trust the state police. They are the ones who are protecting the state throughout the year. They do not trust people. So they insist on central forces. Forces will not cast the vote. People will,” she said.
Trinamool, in its complaint to the EC, said: “The central forces, in a motivated and pre-conceived manner, have resorted to firing within the polling booth, thereby creating fear in the mind of the voters so that they are restrained from casting their votes. At Muraroi, Birbhum, the central forces are once again entering inside the polling booths where actual voting is taking place and obstructing the voters from casting their vote.” FIRs were lodged in both cases.
Police firing other than in self-defence is illegal in Bengal. The Calcutta High Court, in its 2007 Nandigram case verdict, had struck down a rule in Police Regulations, Bengal, 1943, which allowed police to fire at unlawful assemblies. The Left Front government challenged the order in the Supreme Court. The Mamata Banerjee government, however, withdrew the SLP, giving legal finality to the HC decision.
Speaking to people close to the Indo-Bangladesh border, Banerjee said: “Keep alert since you stay near the border. I would like to urge my brothers and sisters of BSF to please work with the local people. Please do not pay heed to BJP and try to foment trouble. You do not have to publicly support a political party. You do not have to support our party, too. Please do your work properly and do not wade into politics.” She added:
“Everyone is scared of Modi. Even journalists are scared. I am not afraid and will keep protesting. We will not concede an inch of ground to them.”
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