BJP and Trinamul Congress trade assault charges Violence erupted in pockets of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri towns after Saturday’s polls.

In Siliguri, TMC supporters alleged that a group of saffron party supporters ransacked a local party office and attacked some of their houses

Tourism minister Gautam Deb.: File picture

TT Bureau   |   Siliguri/Jalpaiguri   |   19.04.21: Violence erupted in pockets of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri towns after Saturday’s polls.

In Siliguri, Trinamul supporters residing in Porajhar, a locality that comes under the Dabgram-Fulbari Assembly constituency represented by tourism minister Gautam Deb, alleged on Sunday that a group of BJP supporters ransacked a local party office and attacked some of their houses.

Deb, who reached the spot and met his supporters, said they had information that the BJP candidate Sikha Chatterjee) was also present.

Chatterjee, who also reached Porajhar, countered that Trinamul supporters had beaten up her party workers.

As the news spread, police officers visited the spot and spoke to locals. Supporters of both parties have been asked to refrain from any activity that can breach law and order, a police officer said. “We are looking into the complaints. Patrolling will be intensified in the locality,” he added.

On Saturday night, youth Trinamul workers of Jalpaiguri accused the administration and central forces of carrying BJP booth agents in a vehicle where the EVMs were loaded from a school building of the town. BJP leaders alleged their booth agents were assaulted by Trinamul supporters, and the police and central forces rescued them.

Both filed police complaints. Moumita Godara Basu, the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri, denied Trinamul’s charges. “No booth agent (of any party) was put in any official vehicle,” she said. “There was some commotion but the police controlled the situation.”