Raiganj (WB), Oct 29 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said police would take "whatever step it deems necessary" if anyone dared to raise a hand against women, presenting a tough stance after two rape-murder accused were killed in police encounters in four months.
An accused in a rape-murder case in North 24 Parganas district's Gaighata was killed by police after he allegedly snatched an officer's service revolver and opened fire at them on Tuesday. In July, a prime accused in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Baruipur was killed under similar circumstances.
On Tuesday itself, an accused in the murder of a BJP worker was killed in an alleged gunfight with CID personnel in Murshidabad district.
Talking to reporters after an administrative meeting in Uttar Dinajpur district's Raiganj, Adhikari, who is also in charge of the home department, said, "Police will do whatever is necessary if anyone raises a hand against any woman."
He also pointed out that huge quantities of contraband have been seized in this district bordering Bangladesh. "As many as 22,000 bottles of banned cough syrup have been seized in Uttar Dinajpur district. On my next visit, I will run a bulldozer over those (contraband items), as I did in Balurghat and Kolkata earlier," the chief minister said.
Adhikari also said that coordination between state police and BSF has been strengthened in border districts.
About augmenting the state's healthcare and education infrastructure, he said that all necessary steps were being taken. "It is our responsibility to reclaim West Bengal's lost glory in the education sector and fully implement the National Education Policy in the state," he said.
Adhikari said that the position of the state in implementation of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) project is "improving, though not yet satisfactory".
He said that Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal told him that the number of mandays under the project, currently at one lakh, will be increased to seven to eight lakhs. "We want to urge every migrant worker from the state to return," he said, maintaining that the state government will give Rs 34,500 to each job card holder.
