Police shooting kills one in Bengal

Kolkata: At least one person was killed and three others injured in police shooting at Tehatta in West Bengal’s Nadia district on Wednesday.

The clash between the police and villagers occurred after they blocked roads in protest after being denied permission to hold a religious festival. Police first charged the crowd with batons, the villagers responded by throwing bricks at the police and set at least two police vehicles on fire after which the police allegedly opened fire.

Initially, police denied shooting on the farmers. Additional Director of Police (Law and Order) Surajit Kar Purakayastha said “something had happened,” it was not clear yet if police opened fire. But soon local news networks started airing pictures of police officials firing at crowds from rooftops, which forced the police to get into a huddle.

The Chief Secretary has called a high-level meeting with key bureaucrats and state police chiefs in Kolkata.

Later at a press conference, Purakayastha, admitted police having to shoot to protect itself. “The people had attacked the house of the Superintendent of Police of the area and had torched six police vehicles and eight police officers were injured in the clashes. We had to fire as this was the last line of defence since we had earlier used rubber bullets and teargas but that did not stop the crowds from attacking us. Ashoke Das, aged 45, has died and the police administration are doing everything to standby the family,” he said.

The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and will look into what led to this clash between police and people, he added.

However, the opposition slammed the government for not being able to handle small issues and allowing them to flare up into major controversies. “The locals have been organising the religious festival in the area for the last seven to eight years. Last year Trinamool Member of Parliament Tapas Pal had also inaugurated the puja. there had been an all party meeting in the area trying to resolve the issues, but the administration did not pay heed to it and went on being adamant which led to this unwanted death,” said Shayamal Chakraborty of Communist Party of India.

This is second time in two weeks that police have been accused of firing into protesting crowds. The last time, it was in Birbhum, where farmers say police shot at them for protesting acquisition of land. There too, police as well as the state government denied that police had fired, but the local police chief was transferred and an inquiry ordered.