NEW DELHI: A day after imposing ban on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for 24 hours, the Election Commission on Tuesday banned BJP leader Rahul Sinha from campaigning for 48 hours in the fifth phase of Assembly elections in the state charging him of making "highly provocative statements mocking the human life".
Taking suo moto congnizance of the matter, the poll panel considered that Sinha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s candidate in Habra constituency in West Bengal, "violated the provisions of Model Code of Conduct", announcing that the leader is banned from "campaigning in any manner from next 48 hours commencing from 12 hours today (Tuesday) till 12 hours on April 15".
The commission decided to issue this order without giving any notice to Sinha "due to urgency of the matter".
Sinha is the second BJP leader after party's West Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh who courted controversy over his remarks regarding firing on some people by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) last week in Sitalkuchi Assembly Constituency in Cooch Behar district in which four people were killed during the fourth phase of Assembly elections.
Sinha allegedly said on Monday that not four, but eight people should have been shot by the central forces in Cooch Behar's Sitalkuchi.
"...The Central Forces have given them a befitting answer. If they do it again, they will be dealt again in a befitting manner. The Central Forces should have killed eight persons instead of four in Sitalkuchi. The Central forces should be issued a show cause notice as to why they have killed only four of them..., " the EC quoted a transcript of Sinha's statement.
The commission said that Sinha "made highly provocative statements mocking human life, inciting the forces that could have serious law and order implications thereby adversely affecting the election process".
"The Commission hereby strongly condemns the statements made by Rahul Sinha, BJP and sternly warns him to be careful from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of conduct is in force."
Earlier, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh created a controversy on Sunday by saying that more Cooch Behar-like killings may happen if "naughty boys like the ones who received bullets in Sitalkuchi" try to take the law into their hands.