West Bengal Panchayat Polls: Calcutta HC Orders Deployment of Central Forces Within 48 Hours
Malda (West Bengal): In the run-up to the Panchayat polls in West Bengal, two separate political clashes have claimed the lives of at least three persons.
The Bhangar area in South 24-Parganas – which is one of the most volatile pockets of Bengal during polls – has been witnessing clashes between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Indian Secular Front (ISF).
The Calcutta high court has directed the State Election Commission to requisition central forces for all districts in the state within 48 hours for the polls, which are scheduled to be held on July 8, LiveLaw reports.
The bench consisting of Chief Justice Sivagnaman and Justice Uday Kumar noted that a direction for earmarking sensitive areas and deploying forces was passed on Tuesday, June 13, but no appreciable steps were taken in this regard.
While the SEC submitted that it may take a couple of days to identify sensitive areas, the court observed that more time would only cause more damage and would not help the “purity of the election process.” The costs for the same would be borne by the Union government and no costs would be charged from the state.
Further, says LiveLaw, it was also directed that the SEC ask its election officers to display their identity cards and whenever called upon, prove their identity during the election process.
Earlier, an ISF supporter, Mohammaden Mohiddin Mollah, was killed during a procession to file nominations, with Bhangor MLA Naushad Siddiqui, asserting that he was shot in the head. Mohiddin served as an election agent for a candidate in the upcoming Panchayat polls. In Chopra, Uttar Dinajpur, bombs were hurled at a joint rally by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress, resulting in the death of local CPI(M) activist Mansur Ali.
The New Indian Express reports that “police said the incident took place when supporters of the Left Front and the Congress, who formed an alliance to contest the rural polls, were heading towards the nearby office of the block development officer to file nominations.”
Additionally, six individuals were critically injured during the rally. They are receiving treatment at a hospital. The locals said that these incidents of violence have once again cast a shadow over the democratic process of elections, and necessitate thorough investigations to prevent further unrest.
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