West Bengal's upcoming elections are marred by violence as a TMC MP reports an attack and a CISF jawan is shot, raising concerns about election security.
Key Points
- TMC MP Mitali Bag alleges attack by BJP workers, resulting in injuries and hospitalisation.
- A CISF jawan, Yogesh Sharma, was shot and injured outside a BJP candidate's residence in North 24 Parganas.
- Crude bombs were discovered at a polling booth in Habra, causing panic and prompting accusations between TMC and BJP.
- The Election Commission has sought reports on all incidents of violence and is investigating the matters.
- The second phase of voting will take place across seven districts in West Bengal.
A TMC MP was allegedly attacked and a CISF jawan was shot in separate incidents of violence in southern West Bengal, where elections will be held in the second phase on Wednesday.
TMC MP Attacked in Hooghly District
In Hooghly district, Arambagh MP Mitali Bag on Monday alleged that BJP workers vandalised her vehicle at Goghat while she was on her way to attend a rally of party leader Abhishek Banerjee.
Bag claimed that she came under attack near a BJP office and suffered injuries from the shattered windowpane of her vehicle.
She alleged that despite being a woman and a Dalit people's representative, she was targeted by "hooligans sheltered by the fascist BJP".
She was later admitted to the Arambagh hospital for treatment.
Banerjee, who visited Bag at the hospital, condemned the attack, stating that the people of Bengal would give a befitting reply to the BJP.
The BJP denied the allegations, calling the episode a "drama" and instead accusing TMC supporters of attacking its leader.
An Election Commission official said a report had been sought on the matter, and CCTV footage from the area was being examined.
Central forces were also deployed at the spot, he said.
CISF Jawan Shot in North 24 Parganas
In another incident, a CISF jawan was injured in a firing outside the residence of BJP candidate Pawan Singh in the Bhatpara area of North 24 Parganas district late on Sunday night.
The injured personnel, identified as Yogesh Sharma, sustained a bullet injury in his leg and was hospitalised. The poll panel has sought a report on the incident.
Police said four people, including a TMC councillor, were arrested in connection with the incident.
Crude Bombs Recovered at Polling Booth
In the Habra constituency of the district, eight crude bombs were recovered from the premises of a school designated as a polling booth, triggering panic in the area.
The explosives were detected during a security check at Habra Dakshin Nimna Buniyadi Prathomik Vidyalaya and were later defused, police said.
While the TMC accused the BJP of planting the bombs to disrupt polling, the BJP alleged that the ruling party was trying to intimidate voters. The Election Commission has sought a report on this incident as well.
A total of 142 seats across seven districts will vote in the second round on Wednesday. The votes will be counted on May 4.
