Police turns biased towards BJP during election, says Mamata Banerjee, asks women to gherao CRPF “if they create trouble”

Police personnel get biased towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during elections, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said at a rally in Cooch Behar on Wednesday. However, she added that the junior police officials were not to be blamed, as “police leaders” have gone into “understanding”. She mentioned the role of the Arambagh officer-in-charge in this context, and questioned the role he has played. It is not clear though, whom she may have meant by “police leaders” – whether she implied senior police officers or office bearers in police organisations.

Banerjee was also upset about the “role” played by Central paramilitary forces during the 2021 Assembly polls. She asked people to not trust the police as they became biased towards the BJP, and added that the Central paramilitary force personnel should be gheraoed if required.

She said some “BJP-CRPF” had come into the state. She warned that the Central forces cannot stop people from voting, and in fact they should encourage people to vote and facilitate voting. “I respect the CRPF. However, I do not have respect for the CRPF who belong to the BJP. They are harassing women, killing people and creating trouble,” she said. Banerjee said she would appeal to the Election Commission to ensure that the CRPF personnel are unable to create trouble in the subsequent phases of voting.

“The CRPF is acting on instructions of Amit Shah. I have never given such instructions to police as the state’s home minister,” she said. The Trinamool chief asked her booth agents to not leave their booths even if police asked them to. She also asked people to ensure that the Central forces were not preventing anyone from going and voting. “If the Central forces create trouble anywhere, women must gherao them. One group must gherao them while the other group goes to vote. Do not waste your vote,” Banerjee said. She also asked people to lodge complaints (first information reports) if any trouble is created anywhere.

Mentioning the attack on Trinamool’s Arambagh candidate Sujata Mandal during the third phase of elections on April 6, Banerjee said: “I have noticed the role played by the Arambagh OC. I am keeping a constant eye on everything. We want peaceful polling, not trouble anywhere, and police personnel should act neutrally.”