Sporadic post-poll violence continues

SNS, Siliguri, 22 May 2014: Sporadic post-poll political violence continues in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar between Left Front and Trinamul Congress supporters over the booth-wise polling trend in the Lok Sabha results.

Alleged supporters of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) on Tuesday night ransacked and torched the house of a Trinamul activist at Badamtam tea plantation area in Darjeeling Hills, where tension still prevails.

In another incident, alleged Trinamul Congress activists today bulldozed a CPI-M party office at Fulbari near Siliguri and captured the CPI-M zonal party office by setting official records on fire at the Rajganj area in Jalpaiguri.

Trinamul activists are attacking party offices and party workers where they got fewer votes than the opponents, Left leaders said. Interestingly, the CPI-M leadership fought back immediately in both the spots and staged demonstrations today, while they also lodged police complaints.

Asked to comment on the situation, north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb denied his party’s involvement post-poll violence. He said he would look into the matter so as to maintain peace in the region, including in Darjeeling Hills.

“The GJMM burned the car and the house of a driver at Badamtam tea plantation in the Hills. I visit the area tomorrow and inspect the Trinamul supporters’ houses that have been damaged in the violence,” Mr Deb said, adding, “GJMM activists are trying to attack people who opposed the statehood demand after winning the Darjeeling seat with the help of the BJP.”

On the other hand, the Darjeeling district Left Front convenor, Asok Bhattacharya, said: “Trinamul leaders attacked our party office at Fulbari just after the poll results. They bulldozed the party office in the wee hours today and put up their party flags there.” “We rushed to spot and put up our party flags there in the presence of police. We met the Siliguri police commissioner today and demanded arrest of the culprits. We will stage a demonstration in front of the police outpost from Saturday if the police do not arrest the culprits. We will also start reconstructing the party office there,” he added.

In Jalpaiguri, Trinamul activists allegedly ransacked a CPI-M zonal office and set ablaze the official documents at Rajganj today. Trinamul activists also allegedly put up their party flags and locked up the office.

The Jalpaiguri CPI-M leadership rushed to the spot, broke the lock and recaptured the office.

The Jalpaiguri district CPI-M secretary, Krishna Banerjee, told reporters that they would lodge complaints with appropriate authorities, including the Governor of West Bengal, protesting the “continuous attacks” on them in several Assembly segments like Rajganj, Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri, Dhupguri and Kumargram.