West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to the families of the people killed in a firing incident in Cooch Behar during the fourth phase of polling on Saturday over a video call and assured them help. Calling the firing incident a 'genocide', she called the Prime Minister and Home Minister of the country 'incompetent'.
The Chief Minister held a press conference in Siliguri where she talked with the family members of the deceased through video calling.
"When the election is already over why cannot I go there? I cannot go there but I can talk to them through video calling," she told before dialling them.
Briefing media persons, Mamata said, "They are killing people using Central forces and giving clean cheat thereafter. This is genocide. I could not meet the families. I will meet them on April 14. I cannot be stopped."
"They have fired directly at the chest or the neck. Why CISF has been deployed to control the public? They are not trained for that. CISF is trained specially for industrial security. Now to suppress the fact, they are stopping us to visit there. They ordered this 72 hours rule just to stop me from meeting those families. This is unprecedented," she alleged.
"I respect the Election Commission. But they are changing the rules. This is now the BJP Code of Conduct. The system cannot be changed with the interest of a party. The institution will continue forever and the system is to be maintained. There are three key institutions that help prevailing democracy - Election Commission, judiciary and media. But these three institutions have feen falling gradually," added the chief minister.
The Chief Minister had said that she will hold a protest rally in Cooch Behar on Sunday against the firing incident and visit the homes of the deceased.
The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday gave directions that no political leader from any party should be allowed to enter the geographical boundaries of Cooch Behar district for the next 72 hours where four persons were killed in poll violence on Saturday during the fourth round of polling in West Bengal.
The poll panel said that based on the interim report from the two observers at 12.36 pm on Saturday "confirming the incident of attack on the polling station by a mob in which CISF opened firing in which four people died and four got injured", it had ordered adjournment of the poll. The incident was reported from polling station number 126 of the Sitalkuchi assembly constituency.
Trinamool Congress has alleged that Central forces opened fire twice at polling booths in Cooch Behar where people are casting their votes, killing four party workers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his sadness over the incident. He urged EC to strongly deal with those responsible for what happened in Cooch Behar.
The next phase of the elections will take place on April 17.
