Chief minister Mamata Banerjee continued her salvos at the BSF and the Narendra Modi government on Monday over the Chopra incident on Monday as her cabinet colleague Chandrima Bhattacharya reached the village in North Dinajpur where four children died at a BSF work site and met the bereaved families.

On February 12, four boys aged between five and 12 years, died in Chetanagach village of Chopra after a mound of earth fell on them while the work to deepen a trench was on near the Bangladesh border. Villagers alleged that the central force had not taken any precautions near the work site, which Trinamul then flagged.

“What do they (the Centre) do when the BSF guns down people in north Bengal? How many teams have they sent?” asked Mamata at a news conference in Calcutta.

Bhattacharya reached Chopra in the afternoon and then went near the Daspara BSF camp where Trinamul has been organising a sit-in demonstration against the central security force since February 13.

“Our demonstration will continue until the BSF responds.... They cannot evade their responsibilities because of this heinous incident where four innocent lives have been lost due to their negligence,” said Bhattacharya.

Addressing party workers and locals, Bhattacharya couldn’t control her tears.

“We don’t know how to console the families who have lost their sons. Let us make it clear that we will continue to strive to give them justice. Our leader Mamata Banerjee knows well how to get justice for people,” she said.

The state minister, who was accompanied by some party MLAs, questioned the Centre’s take on the deaths.

“We have the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Where are they? So far, the central government has not announced any compensation for the families. They are keen to increase the jurisdiction of the BSF but are apathetic to the border population,” she alleged.

Political observers pointed out that Trinamul is determined to go ahead with the issue to exert pressure on the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In 2018, before the 2019 polls, two persons succumbed to bullet injuries after violence sparked in Daribhit High School of North Dinajpur over the appointment of some teachers, an issue the BJP had picked up for its poll campaign.

“This time, it is evident that Bengal’s ruling party will not let the issue of the minor deaths die ahead of the polls. To counter the BJP, Trinamul has picked up the issue to draw support from bordering areas as well as to mount pressure on the BJP in the district that had used the Daribhit issue against Trinamul in 2019,” said an observer.

Governor visit

Governor C.V. Ananda Bose will visit Chopra on Tuesday. Bose, sources said, will reach Kishanganj via train and will then move by road to reach Chetanagach.

State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, in Chopra on Monday, said the governor should ensure that the families get justice.

“We requested him to visit Chopra and it is good that he will be here tomorrow (Tuesday). We believe the governor will talk to people and the BSF and pass the message to the quarters concerned so that the families here get justice,” she said.