Cooch Behar violence: TMC moves EC over Dilip Ghosh's 'more Sitalkuchis' remark

Bengal, April 12: The Trinamool Congress on Monday demanded legal action against West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and a ban on his political campaign in the state for the Cooch Behar violence on ongoing assembly elections over his remark on the four people who were killed by CISF personnel in Sitalkuchi during polling.

Dilip Ghosh courted controversy on Sunday by saying that more Cooch Behar-like killings may happen if “naughty boys like the ones who received bullets in Sitalkuchi” try to take the law into their hands.

In a complaint lodged with the Election Commission, TMC said Dilip Ghosh “justified such murders and threatened Bengal and its people of more such murders“. The Trinamool Congress also attached an extract of the video along with the complaint letter.

Trinamool Congress said by making remarks like “there will be more Sitalkuchis if naughty boys don’t have“, Dilip Ghosh “encouraged” similar spells of violence in the elections.

TMC also said that Dilip Ghosh’s remarks also indicate that the Cooch Behar violence was “sponsored by the BJP and executed at the behest of the home minister“.

Addressing a gathering at Baranagar in North 24 Parganas district on Sunday, Dilip Ghosh said, “The naughty boys, who had presumed that the rifles of the central forces were just for a show during election duty, will not dare repeat the same mistake after seeing what happened in Sitalkuchi. This will happen in the whole of Bengal. If anyone dares to take the law into his hands, this will happen to him also.”


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In another rally, Dilip Ghosh spoke about the upcoming 5th phase of elections, with similar warnings.

Didi [Mamata Banerjee] is scared of the people’s mandate…Those days are gone when people used to be scared. They have stood in line and cast their vote since morning. I am hoping on the 17th, you will all go stand in line to cast your votes, Central forces will be at the booth. No one will be able to stare at you wide-eyed, we are there. If they do too much, you have seen what happened in Sitalkuchi. There will be more Sitalkuchis in every place,” Dilip Ghosh said.

Trinamool Congress slammed Dilip Ghosh for his comments and demanded his arrest. “This is a clear case of provocation. For such criminal provocation, the authorities concerned must initiate appropriate legal action by arresting Dilip Ghosh,” said TMC leader Sukhendu Shekhar Rai.