West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday gave a call to the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel to operate impartially as the current Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi might cease to exist in the coming days.
“I am not saying that everyone in BSF is bad. But I request you to operate independently and impartially. Modi is there today. He might not be there tomorrow. But you will be there to protect the country. So it is unfair to resort to torture on people.
Rather you work together with people,” the chief minister said while addressing a campaign rally at Jalpaiguri for the July 8 panchayat polls in the state.Speaking on the occasion, she also pointed out that those killed in BSF firing at the Indo-Bangladesh bordering districts in the state will be compensated by the state government.
“We will offer the job of 'home- guard’ to one family member of the victims besides a one-tie compensation of Rs 2,00,000,” the chief minister said.For the last couple of days the chief minister has been in an attacking mood against BSF.
On Monday, while addressing a similar campaign rally at Cooch Behar district, the chief minister accused the BSF personnel of intimidating the voters in bordering villages. She also cautioned that the state police from now onwards would also file FIRs against the personnel concerned in case of firing at the bordering villages.
The BSF authorities had issued a strong rejoinder to such accusations by the chief minister claiming that there had been no complaint of intimidating any person in the border area. “BSF emphatically deny any such allegations labelled by CM, West Bengal,” the statement issued by the BSF authorities read.
BSF had been a point of confrontation between the Union and West Bengal government since the time the Union ministry of Home Affairs, extended the operational jurisdiction of BSF to 50 kilometers within the borders.
At that point of time, senior Trinamool Congress legislator and the current North Bengal development minister, Udayan Guha even accused BSF personnel of molesting women in the name of frisking. However, Guha’s comments invited strong reactions from the BSF authorities.