About 60.76% votes cast in North Bengal districts till 5 pm: Violence in different booths: 6 killed in Poll violence, Presiding officer beaten up

5 TMC member, one BJP polling agent and one Congress member were killed during the poll violence

MP, 8 July 2023, Siliguri: Cooch Behar, Malda, North Dinajpur districts saw 6 dead, including 4 TMC supporters, in the rural polls on Saturday. Long queues continued even after polls ended at 5 pm. With ballot papers used instead of EVMs, the poll process in the Panchayat elections was slow. 

Till 5 pm polling percentage stood at around 60.76 per cent in the North Bengal districts (excluding the GTA area). 

Cooch Behar was the epicentre of violence as clashes continued. In the wee hours of Saturday, in the Rampur I GP, TMC worker Ganesh Das was returning home when he was attacked from behind with sharp weapons and killed, allegedly by BJP-harboured goons. Kanu Das, another TMC worker suffered grievous injuries in the attack. 

BJP miscreants allegedly fired at voters at the 7/262 booth of Dinhata Village II GP in which 29-year-old Chiranjeet Karji was grievously injured and later breathed his last in a private hospital. 

He owed allegiance to the TMC. Another resident Radhika Barman suffered injuries. In the 2/12 booth of Hajrahaat GP in the Mathabhanga subdivision Biplab Sarkar, a TMC supporter was shot at. Bhola Barman, an Independent candidate of Putimari I GP also suffered bullet injuries. 

Madhav Biswas, BJP polling agent of 4/38 booth in Falimari GP died in a bombing incident allegedly carried out by TMC goons. BJP candidate Maya Bhowmik Sarkar was injured in the incident. 

Polling was halted in this booth. “Criminals have been hired by the BJP to create disturbances and kill TMC workers. CAPF have remained mere spectators. Lives are precious. All miscreants involved in these ruthless murders have to be brought to book,” stated Avijit De Bhowmik, TMC District President. 

“TMC has created terror and killed people. It is a mockery of democracy” claimed Sukumar Roy, BJP District President. Two TMC members and a Congress member were killed in an alleged attack in North Dinajpur.

A TMC candidate of Vidyanandapur GP Mahammad Sahensa (37) was stabbed to death in the premises of Kobitore Khupi booth by alleged Congress workers. Polling was halted in this booth. The dead body of a TMC worker Nayanu Sarkar (55 years) was found in a field at Bijandanga around 3 km away from his house at Giasil. He was found lying dead on the ground allegedly strangled with a jute rope. He had gone out to cast his vote, claimed family members. 

Fingers were pointed at the BJP for the murder. In another incident Md. Jamirudding (50 years) of Congress died and 4 others were injured in a bombing in Jagir Bustee under the Goalpokhar Police Station. 

In another incident Presiding officer Manaj Majumder was beaten up severely when he tried to stop anti socials from looting ballot papers at No 145 Chopra Bagan booth. 

The Presiding officer is undergoing treatment in Islampur Subdivisional hospital. In Malda, a Trinamool worker Malek Sheikh (42) was shot to death in Gopalpur GP of Manikchak. 6 others were injured. 

The local TMC leadership blamed the alliance of Congress and CPIM for this incident. There were multiple clashes reported in which Trinamool activists Basiruddin Sheikh (45) and an old woman Taslima Bewa (62) were injured. A constable named Prashanto Karmakar aged 55 fell sick on Saturday morning and later died in the hospital. 

Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Superintendent of Police Malda, said, “The incidents are being investigated and legal action will be taken accordingly. The police have arrested 10 people in various incidents so far.” In South Dinajpur, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar was accused of capturing two booths in Gangarampur with the help of tribals yielding bows and arrows. 

The incident took place in booth numbers 189 and 190. In another incident, a group of BJP activities allegedly vandalised ballot boxes in Gangarampur’s Palpara area in booth numbers 184 and 184A. 

The damaged the ballot box and ballot papers. The BJP workers-led by Sukanta Majumdar allegedly threw a ballot box with ballot papers in a pond which they had snatched from booth number 195 in Gangarampur’s Raghabpur area. As many as 320 voters residing outside border fencing of zero line on India-Bangladesh border located at Haripukur village exercised their democratic right. 

District TMC president, South Dinajpur Mrinal Sarkar said: “In some areas, the BJP activists-led by the state president Sukanta Majumdar were found indulging in booth capturing and pouring water into the ballot box.” 

Sukanta Majumdar, however, denied the charges and said that the TMC activities across South Dinajpur district created such nuisances and blamed the saffron party. 

In Alipurduar district in booth 11/142 BJP miscreants allegedly set fire to the ballot box and demanded re-elections. 

There was an incident of firing in which three rounds were fired at Vivekananda1 GP 12/163 and 12/164 booths. 

In Voting was by and large peaceful in other districts of North Bengal including Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/about-6076-votes-cast-in-north-bengal-districts-till-5-pm-524912