2 PILs Filed in HC for Judicial Probe Into Cooch Behar CISF Firing

PILs were filed before the Calcutta High Court praying for a judicial inquiry into the CISF firing case.

(Photo Courtesy: The Quint)

Two Public Interest Litigations (PIL) were filed before the Calcutta High Court on Monday, 12 April, praying for a judicial inquiry into the CISF firing case, which led to the death of four persons.

Four people were killed in a firing by central forces on Saturday, 10 April, as voting was underway in polling station 126 of the Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency in West Bengal's Cooch Behar, the Election Commission said that the CISF had to fire in order to save lives of voters who came to vote.

One of the petitions requested that the court should give an order to ensure that the CISF company, whose personnel has opened fire in Sitalkuchi, be kept off election duty in West Bengal.

The petitioners – an advocate at Calcutta High Court and a school teacher – also demanded adequate monetary compensation to the families of those who were killed in the firing.

The plea further stated that The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a government body which guards sensitive governmental building and airports, are not adequately trained to handle public unrest.

The petitioners have demanded the court to form an independent committee headed by a retired HC judge.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress has opposed this move and have called the firing ‘unnecessary and ‘unprovoked’.

In a statement on 10 April, 2020 the Election Commission said, “Recourse to open fire by CISF personnel became absolutely necessary in order to save lives of voters lined up at the polling booth, those of other polling personnel and their own lives as mob had attempted snatching their weapons.”

(With Inputs from PTI)