Voters Threatened, Poll Bins Seized, ISF-TMC Conflict, Bombings: Will Bengal Ever See Peaceable Elections?
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Poll packing containers confiscated, voters intimidated, bombing and firing at polling cubicles — the story of West Bengal Panchayat elections has been written with violence and bloodshed.
Whereas individuals say violence on polling day has grow to be a floor actuality, the ruling Trinamool Congress authorities denies it, and believes the “drawback is simply at some cubicles”.
A TMC employee was killed in bombing in Samserganj in Murshidabad. No less than 15 individuals died, principally TMC staff, in ballot violence in West Bengal, out of which, Bhangar in South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad and Cooch Behar had been most affected.
was in Bhangar on the polling day on July 8, the place some miscreants had been standing with bamboo sticks in arms in entrance of a polling sales space in Chapaganchi at round 7 am. There was no Central Armed Police Drive on the sales space so the native police had been making an attempt to regulate the hoodlums however weren't capable of do a lot.
Firing passed off in one other sales space, Chak Moricha, in Bhangar, the place there have been bombs and blood. Right here as nicely, CAPF was absent.
It's suspected that the violence began after Indian Secular Entrance (ISF) staff got here to forged their vote, and all of the sudden they had been attacked.
There have been greater than 61,000 polling cubicles in West Bengal to conduct the Panchayat elections, and solely one-fourth of them had been guarded by the CAPF.
One ISF employee, who was attacked outdoors the sales space, instructed , “They began firing, and my pal fell and one other individual bought injured. Since final night time (July 7), they (goons) have been intimidating (us).
Amidst all this, Bijoyganj Bazar in South 24 Parganas district, which witnessed violence on the final day of submitting nomination on June 15 wherein one TMC activist and one ISF supporter had been killed in separate incidents, had an uncanny silence.
Shefali Roy, 80, who had an issue strolling as much as the sales space, instructed that it's her “start proper and responsibility to caste vote” when requested about violence on the bottom.
One other ISF candidate, Hajira Biwi, and her husband, had been locked of their home in Bhangar. “Since final night time, they've locked us. TMC has stated that if we exit, then they may kill us. We had knowledgeable the police however nothing occurred. Not solely me, they intimidated the complete village,” she stated.
The police reached the place of the couple to rescue them, however they stated they don’t need to go away the home as a result of risk.
One of many villagers, Salima Bibi, instructed that the federal government retains saying ‘Khela Hobe’ however don’t permit the opposite individual to play. “It’s not simply the candidate, they're intimidating us all,” she alleged.
A TMC native chief had fully refuted the cost.
Bombing was witnessed in Sonpur Bhangar the place locals allege that ISF attacked a neighborhood TMC chief’s home. Some native girls instructed that hooliganism was rampant. That they had come to vote and all of the sudden they was bombing.
Because the polling day got here to an finish, ISF staff carrying bamboo sticks blocked the street in Kashipur Bhangar. When requested numerous girls in regards to the incident, they stated they weren't allowed to vote. They had been beating individuals who tried to vote.
Murshidabad, Maldah, Cooch Behar and Hoogly reported poll packing containers being thrown right into a pond.
Round 30 individuals had been killed within the run-up to the Panchayat polls in 2018 in comparison with 18 this 12 months. Practically 14 had been killed within the final election on the voting day.
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