Kolkata: The killings of two accused in separate “encounters” in Gaighata and Shamsherganj on Tuesday triggered a political slugfest, with BJP backing the police action as necessary to restore public confidence and deter heinous crimes, while opposition parties raised questions over due process and the rule of law.BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya defended the police, saying the circumstances that led to the Gaighata firing were best known to the force. “A policeman also got injured in the firing. Under what circumstances they had to open fire are known to the police; the administration has done its job,” he said.Bhattacharya also referred to the attacks on police during Waqf-related protests to question what options the force had when targeted repeatedly. “If police are attacked repeatedly, what path is open before them?” he asked.State industries minister Tapas Roy also backed the action in the Gaighata case, describing the rape-murder of a minor as among the most heinous crimes. He said police were justified in opening fire if they came under attack.State panchayat minister Dilip Ghosh said nobody was above the law, adding that those who defied it had to face the consequences. He argued that tough measures were necessary to restore public’s trust in police and establish the rule of law.“People had forgotten how to trust police; to bring that trust back police have to take some hard, unpleasant measures. If rule of law is established, everyone will fear and be cautious,” Dilip said.Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh, however, questioned the use of “encounters”, describing such action outside the legal process as potentially sensationalist. He maintained that those accused of rape and murder must face trial and enjoy their legal rights, even as he said such offenders had no right to live. “I don’t want to comment on whether justice could be achieved through legal means or outside the law,” he said.CPM functionary Sujan Chakraborty also condemned rape but questioned how police had allowed a situation in which an accused person could allegedly snatch a revolver and threaten officers. “Have police made themselves so weak that someone can snatch their revolver and target them, leading to an encounter? If rule of law is destroyed like this, we will have to face much greater dangers in future,” he said.SUCI state committee member Tarun Naskar also criticised the “encounters”, saying killing accused persons was not the same as establishing the rule of law. While demanding appropriate punishment for the guilty, he stressed that an accused person must have an opportunity to defend himself in a fair trial. He alleged that due process was increasingly being undermined.
