Nandigram sees sporadic violence, ‘no bloodshed’- - received over 100 complaints -polling across 255 booths spread across two blocks in Nandigram

CPM leaders said the police officers were ‘unaware’ of ground realities

Representational image.: Shutterstock

Anshuman Phadikar   |  TT  |  Nandigram(Bengal)   |   02.04.21 : Vote day Thursday in East Midnapore’s Nandigram, with Mamata Banerjee pitted against her former aide and now rival from the BJP, Suvendu Adhikari, was marked by many incidents of near-clashes between Trinamul and BJP supporters and allegations of poll malpractices.

On Wednesday, The Telegraph had reported that 22 companies of central forces were deployed and Section 144 imposed to avert any breach of law and order in Nandigram on vote day.

Though there was no bloodshed across 255 booths spread across two blocks in Nandigram, security forces of both state and central governments rushed from one booth to another with complaints pouring in at control rooms set up at the Nandigram BDO office and police station.

“We received over 100 complaints at our control rooms till the end of polling. There were no violent clashes as the forces were able to bring several cases of tense situations under control,” said a senior police officer in Nandigram.  

A police source said two incidents could have spiralled into major clashes had security forces not intervened. “One involved goons who hurled stones at Adhikari’s convoy, in which no one was hurt, and another involved chief minister Mamata Banerjee being confined to a booth in Boyal (for two hours in a tense face-off between Trinamul and BJP supporters),” said a police source.

Late on Wednesday and early on Thursday, inter-party fights with crude bombs broke out at Sonachura, Kalicharanpur and Bhekutia. The body of BJP worker Uday Dubey was found hanging at home, his family alleging he had been “tormented” by Trinamul workers. BJP worker Sourav Bhattacharjee’s home was reportedly ransacked late on Wednesday.

All three incidents caused local unrest that central forces quelled.

“More than 100 complaints were registered with polling officials and we responded with our dispatches immediately, but upon investigation several were not found credible,” said district police chief Sunil Kumar Yadav.

“I was on the field throughout the day and found no evidence of voter intimidation or malfeasance,” said Nagendra Tripathi, IPS, who had been deputed by the Election Commission to oversee polling on Thursday.

His claim was contested by political parties who lodged complaints of violence and malpractices with the EC and district administration all through the day.

CPM leaders also said the police officers were “unaware” of ground realities.

“They may be speaking of circumstances immediately surrounding polling booths, but they do not know the condition of people being threatened and browbeaten in their own homes over the past few days and even on Thursday,” said CPM’s Nandigram candidate Minakshi Mukherjee, who toured the constituency since morning. She added that violation of Section 144 happened almost everywhere and the central forces did nothing to disperse those who had gathered unlawfully near polling booths.