Kolkata: Senior state minister Agnimitra Paul has penned a poem titled ‘Encounter’ on social media, appearing to back the police action following two encounters involving criminal suspects in Gaighata in North 24 Parganas and Samserganj in Murshidabad on Tuesday.Though Paul has not explicitly referred to either incident or named the accused, the timing of her post suggests that the poem was a response to the twin encounters.In the opening stanza, Paul wrote: “Let crime stop, let people live, Let the darkness of fear go far away. The hand that bears the burden of human security, let that hand stop crime time and again,”In the second stanza, she stressed the need for a firm approach towards crime, acknowledging the challenges involved in taking difficult decisions. “No bowing down to injustice, We want strictness against crime. Sometimes the situation becomes difficult, the burden of decision is also not easy,” Paul wrote.Concluding the poem, the minister underlined the importance of citizens’ security, calling for courage and an uncompromising approach towards crime. “Yet the value of courage is not small, Nothing is greater than the security of the people. May the power of the state be by the side of the people, May a peaceful morning return to every home. We want firmness in suppressing crime, No compromise on human security,” she wrote.The poem comes amid BJP’s efforts to project a tougher approach to law and order under chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who also holds the home portfolio. BJP has frequently accused the previous Trinamool govt, led by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, of using the police for political purposes.Paul’s verses also offer a political counterpoint to Banerjee’s long-standing practice of writing poems on political developments and issues.
