A police sub-inspector, who had reportedly opened fire outside a polling booth, allegedly told lawyers during proceedings in a court on Friday that if needed, he would fire again.
Bagdah SI Asadur Rahaman made the threat in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court at Bongaon in North 24-Parganas. He had come to the court to produce five BJP workers arrested in connection with poll-related violence at Ranghat in the Bagdah Assembly constituency of North 24-Parganas on Thursday. Rahaman had allegedly opened fire outside the booth at Ranghat.
When the proceedings were going on in the court of ACJM Debasis Santra on Friday, Rahaman told some lawyers: “Guli chaliyechhi...besh korechhi, darkar hole aabar chalabo (Fine, I fired, and if needed, I will do it again)”.
The lawyers immediately requested the judge to register a case against the SI.
Understanding that the court had registered a probe under Section 506 of the IPC (criminal intimidation), the SI applied for bail. The judge granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 1,000
The ACJM subsequently transferred the case to the district court.
Chief public prosecutor Samir Das said: “The second officer of Bagdah police station produced before the judge five persons arrested in connection with an attack on police. While producing the accused, he told lawyers that if needed, he would fire again. So, the court ordered a probe against the officer.”
On Thursday, two persons were injured when the police fired indiscriminately to control violent BJP supporters outside the polling station No 35 at Ranghat. Local sources said while trying to disperse the people gathered to protest an alleged vandalism of their tent, the police first resorted to a baton-charge.
Later, the police opened fire, grievously injuring Budho Santra, 65, and his nephew Mrityunjoy Santra, 25, both of whom were returning from a paddy field. The police claimed that they had fired in self-defence as the villagers had attacked them with sharp weapons and injured three officers.
The officer-in-charge of Bagdah police station, Utpal Saha, who had suffered deep injury to the head in the violence, was shifted to a private hospital along EM Bypass in Calcutta on Friday morning.
At a news conference in Durgapur on Friday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she didn’t support the police firing at Ranghat.
Ashis Sarkar, a lawyer, said: “The behaviour of the police officer today leads us to believe that it was an unprovoked firing with political interest. The way he spoke to lawyers inside the court to justify his act shows his mala fide intentions, which need to be investigated.”
“We filed a petition in the court for a probe against him and it has been accepted,” Sarkar added.
SI Rahaman refused to speak on the allegations against him.
Tarun Halder, the chief of Bongaon police district, did not pick up calls made by this correspondent for his reaction to Rahaman’s alleged threat in the court.
The Bongaon ACJM court on Friday remanded the five BJP workers in two weeks’ judicial custody.
They were charged under several sections of the IPC, which include murderous attack, causing grievous injury and preventing government officers from performing duties.
BJP’s Bagdah candidate Biswajit Das said the incident at the Bongaon court proved that the police had deliberately opened fire to unleash panic among voters so that they didn’t turn up at the polling station.