Bengal: Mamata meets family members of people killed in Cooch Behar shooting

The four men, who belong to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), were shot to death after they had allegedly tried to snatch the weapons of the CISF men during the fourth phase of state elections on Apr 10.

Though the Chief Minister wanted to visit Sitalkuchi on Apr 11, the Election Commission (EC) had barred any politician from entering Cooch Behar till 13th of the same month.

Following the ban on politician's entry into Cooch Behar, Mamata trained her guns at the EC accusing it of colluding with her opponent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking to oust the incumbent through voting.

The BJP, which is not conceding an inch of the political ground to the TMC in the fight to win Bengal, accused Mamata of inciting Sitalkuchi-type violence in the state through her statements.

"What happened in Cooch Behar is sad... I offer condolences to bereaved families. Mamata Didi and her goons are jittery because of the groundswell of support for the BJP," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on whom the BJP is banking in its aim to win Bengal for the first time.

Issuing a statement on Saturday night, the Election Commission said that the firing by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) outside the polling station in Sitalkuchi was absolutely necessary at that moment as the mob had attempted snatching jawans' rifles during the violence.

Hitting back at the Prime Minister, Mamata, who is seeking a third-term as the Chief Minister, said on Sunday, "The Prime Minister came and gave clean chit to the CISF. He is an incompetent Prime Minister. We have an incompetent Home Minister. They can come for election campaigns but what they are doing is threatening people."