West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that everyone is together in the war on terror, and there should not be any differences among people.
Her comments came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s urgent meeting of chief ministers, chief secretaries and DGPs of states having borders with Pakistan and Nepal.
The meeting was called in the wake of the strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, as a retaliatory action against the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were killed.
“At this hour, we all should together fight the battle against terrorism and there should not be any differences among us. We will continue to be in touch with each other and continue monitoring the situation,” Banerjee said at the state secretariat.
“This afternoon, the home minister held a meeting with seven to eight chief ministers of states in the bordering areas… I will not speak anymore about it (the meeting),” she said.
Soon after the meeting with the Union Home Minister, Banerjee chaired a high-level meeting with top officials of the state administration. In the meeting, the CM reviewed the security situation, officials said. “Police, DMs and SPs have been alerted and asked to increase surveillance… All their leaves stand cancelled,” she added.
Urging people not to panic, the chief minister warned them about rumours. “I request people not to panic. Several information may come that would be false and rumours. We should be alert. The Centre has issued necessary guidelines on this. Those who will not maintain it, the security agency can take action against them,” the CM said.
Banerjee said that in case of any information apparently of a sensitive nature, the security agencies could get in touch with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant. “Such information should be shared with one contact so that secrecy is maintained. This is the time to maintain secrecy,” she said.
Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress chief, said the state government would soon make public a phone number where people could share such information.
She also urged private schools in the state to declare early summer vacation on May 9, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. “We already announced summer vacation for government schools. I would request all private schools to shut for the summer vacation,” said Banerjee.
She also urged media houses to report facts and ensure that no misinformation is spread. “As mediapersons, you have to stay calm and composed at this hour. You have the responsibility to report the correct news so that it does not create any tension or result in the spread of rumours. This would be my appeal,” she said.
There are guidelines on strict action against those who publish incorrect or fabricated news leading to tension, be it any form of media, the chief minister said.
“Remember, this is not the time to raise your TRP; it is the time to protect the country. We have to stand beside those who are fighting for the country. That is our responsibility as a common citizen,” Banerjee said.
She asked media houses to be careful about selecting guests for panel discussions as “at times.