Dinhata firing : Axe on DSP (Crime)

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 8: The deputy superintendent of police (crime) of Cooch Behar Mr Meghlal Sarkar is being transferred in connection with the police firing that claimed lives of five Forward Bloc activists at Dinhata on Tuesday. He is going to join as the PA to IG (North Bengal) Mr RJS Nalwa at Siliguri. Though Mr Sarkar is already aware of his fate but the Cooch Behar SP Mr Anil Kumar said that he is yet to receive any official order about the transfer of the DSP (Crime).

 

It was learnt that Mr Sarkar was on duty at Dinhata on Tuesday during the law-violation programme of the Forward Bloc. Five Forward Bloc activists and an NVF constable had to die following the violence that occurred during the demonstration. A number of top brass police officials visited Dinhata since then. A controversy is still going on to pass the responsibility of firing on state or Central police forces. It is yet to be ascertained officially that which force – state Armed Police of CRPF opened fire on the demonstrators. The controversy took a new turn with the transfer of the DSP (Crime).

 

When contacted, Mr Sarkar said he is not unhappy with the transfer order. "I am going to join as the PA to the IG (North Bengal) at Siliguri. As my residence is in Siliguri it should not be considered as a punishment transfer but a prize transfer, because it is hard to get posted at one's hometown", Mr Sarkar said.

 

The outgoing DSP (Crime) said he was not the man who had issued the firing order. But he believes that the firing was a justified step for the police. "If firing was not occurred on that day more than one hundred policemen and the SDO of Dinhata may have to die. Everyone knows the situation following which the police had to open fire," he tried to clarify.

 

On the otherhand, Cooch Behar district Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha said the DSP (Crime) was made the lone scapegoat. Not only he but also there are others who were responsible for the firing. He demanded a high level inquiry to unearth the truth. "We have a right to know why the CRPF were deployed, who issued the firing order and who were the officials behind the mayhem", he said.

 

Police officials of different ranks and files reacted sharply over the news of the DSP (Crime)'s transfer. An officer said it is a convention that at least a senior official should be transferred after such an incident. Here, the DSP (Crime) became the scapegoat, he said. Another officer commented that it was done to appease a partner party of the ruling Left Front as the three-tier panchayat election is on the corner. []