Bengal Panchayat Polls: BJP Candidate Claims Polling Agent Killed In Attack By 'TMC Goons' In Cooch Behar

A BJP candidate sustained injuries and her polling agent killed in an attack on a polling booth in Falimari gram panchayat of Cooch Behar after which polling has been suspended at the booth.

BJP candidate Maya Burman claimed her polling agent was killed in an attack in Cooch Behar ( Image Source :ANI )

A Bharatiya Janata Party candidate claimed she sustained injuries after being attacked by hooligans while her polling agent succumbed to injuries during panchayat polls in Bengal. The polling agent, Madhav Vishwas was killed in the attack on a polling booth in Falimari gram panchayat of Cooch Behar, while the candidate Maya Burman was admitted to a hospital, she claimed, accusing Trinamool Congress for the attacks. "TMC goons hurled a bomb at my agent and killed him. They also attacked me," Burman said as per news agency ANI. 

Following the incident, the polling was suspended at the booth. 

"...Our party worker Mahadeb Biswas who was a polling agent was killed early morning by TMC goons...we will see them in High Court, we won't spare Rajiva Sinha (State Election Commissioner)..." said Nikhil Ranjan Dey, BJP MLA, South Coochbehar. 

West Bengal #PanchayatElection | Madhav Vishwas, the polling agent of a BJP candidate (in picture) killed in an attack by hooligans, on a polling booth in Falimari gram panchayat of Cooch Behar. The candidate is admitted to a hospital after sustaining injuries, voting suspended… pic.twitter.com/E947kWmmVj

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2023

The development comes close to heels with TMC's claim that three of its party workers were killed ahead of the polls. "...Three of our party workers have been murdered in Rejinagar, Tufanganj and Khargram and two have been left wounded from gunshots in Domkol," the party claimed on Saturday. 

Reacting to the party's claim, Bengal minister and TMC leader Shashi Panja said, "Shocking and tragic incidents have unfolded the night before which has just started this morning in the Panchayat elections in West Bengal. The BJP, CPI(M) and Congress had colluded together and were clamouring for Central forces. Where is the deployment?."

"Why have the central forces failed to protect the citizens? TMC workers have been murdered, two have been shot at. Those who were asking for deployment, saying that these central forces are the guardians of peace - the guardians have failed, faltered to protect the rights of citizens," she added.

According to news agency ANI, a 52-year-old TMC worker, Sateshuddin Sheikh was killed in Khargram of Murshidabad. His body was brought to a hospital for postmortem. 

The polls began at 7 am across 20 districts of West Bengal for the three-tier Panchayati Raj system amid tight security while incidents of violence were reported ahead of the polling. 

A polling booth at Baravita Primary School in Sitai in West Bengal's Coochbehar was vandalised and ballot papers were set on fire soon after voting began for single-phase panchayat polls in the state.