Amit Shah holds Mamata Banerjee responsible for death of 4 people after her Sitalkuchi speech : National News

Shantipur: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday held West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the death of 4 people saying her "provocative" speech at Sitalkuchi, Cooch Behar, set people against central forces, who resorted to firing in self defence. Appealing to the people of West Bengal to maintain peace in the remaining four phases of voting and choose their favourite candidate, Mr Shah also assured that once the BJP government came to power after May 2 there will totally violence free state. After holding a roadshow in favour of party candidate Jagannath Sarkar for Santipur assembly seat in Nadia, Mr Shah said any death was very saddening and held TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee''s provocative speech some day ago at Sitalkuchi where four people fell to the bullets.

He said the central forces opened firing when attempts were made to snatch their weapons at a booth in Sitalkuchi assembly constituency, the place where Ms Banerjee held electioneering early this week. Mr Shah said Ms Banerjee had condoled the death of four youths, but she had not condoned the death of Ananda Burman, a BJP worker, who was killed by the TMC goons on the same day at Sitalkuchi. "This shows the appeasement policy of Mamata Banerjee government," he said. Mr Shah also assured once the BJP''s double engine government was voted to power under leadership of PM Narendra Modi on May 2 there will be no violence in the state. The polling in the Shantipur constituency will be held in the fifth phase of the West Bengal Assembly election on April 17. BJP has fielded Jagannath Sarkar against TMC''s Ajoy Dey and Congress'' Riju Ghosal. Mr Shah will also hold roadshows in Ranaghat Dakshin and Panihati later on Sunday.

Altogether 45 assembly seats will go to polls in the fifth phase which is scheduled for April 17. The sixth round for 43 seats would be held on April 22. 35 constituencies will go to polls in the seventh phase elections on April 26. The eighth and final round of elections is scheduled for April 29, when the remaining 35 assembly segments would go to the polls. The Election Commission of India would declare the results on May 2. A report from Siliguri said chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday spoke to the families of the four villagers who were shot dead by CISF personnel at a polling booth in Sitalkuchi. Calling the incident "nothing but genocide", Ms Banerjee said, "They fired at chest level. If their intention was to disperse mob, they may fire on leg but they targeted the chest. They are CISF. They have no experience to control mob." State Police said local residents stormed the polling station following rumours in the area and tried to snatch weapons of the security personnel who retaliated by opening fire.

In response, the Election Commission has barred the entry of any politician in the district for the next 72 hours. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that her government will launch a CID probe into the incident.