Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her government would not permit the setting up of any “detention camp” in Bengal, even as she announced a financial package for the families of Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) who have allegedly died due to work pressure during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“I obey the Constitution. I will not allow any detention camp here. I don’t want people to suffer,” she said, cautioning officials against issuing “British-era forceful instructions”. While she did not name the SIR directly, Banerjee indicated her concerns over directives being passed to district-level officers.
Banerjee alleged that people across the state were living in fear of losing their citizenship rights in the backdrop of the SIR exercise. Reiterating her commitment to secular governance, she said: “I do not do communal politics. I follow the Constitution. Bengal is safe for everyone; there will be no detention camps here.”
She expressed condolences for those, particularly BLOs, who she said had died or taken their own lives due to “excessive work pressure”. She claimed that 39 persons, including BLOs, had died during the ongoing SIR, while 13 others were hospitalised.
She announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for each deceased person’s family and Rs 1 lakh for those hospitalised. Two bereaved families have already received financial support, she noted.
“It is our social responsibility to stand by the people when they are in danger. Families should know the government is ready to extend full support,” she said, asking officials to avoid bureaucratic delays in delivering assistance.
The Chief Minister also alleged that migrant workers from Bengal were being kept in detention camps in various BJP-ruled states and “tortured”, claiming that some had even been sent to Bangladesh despite being Indian citizens.
With winter setting in, Banerjee advised police to remain vigilant, noting that fog and low visibility often lead to accidents. “A person’s life is priceless,” she said.
Banerjee is scheduled to travel to Murshidabad on Tuesday and to Gazole in Malda on Wednesday for a political meeting, before returning to Berhampore for another public meeting on December 4.
She will meet MSME trade bodies at Netaji Indoor Stadium on December 17, followed by a business conclave at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium on December 18.