Bengal Panchayat Polls: Clash Breaks Out During Nomination Filing, BJP Says 'Mamata's Jungle Raj'

The mob also attacked police personnel as well who received minor injuries and were undergoing treatment,

A clash broke out between two groups in West Bengal’s South 24 Pargana during filing of nomination for the panchayat polls, said the police. The mob also attacked police personnel as well who received minor injuries and were undergoing treatment, they added. Around 18 people have been arrested in connection with the incident and a probe is underway, said Dibakar Das, Canning Sub-Divisional Police Officer, reported ANI. "There are several blocks where candidates are not able to file nominations. State Election Commission is not working properly, they are not allowing Central Forces to take charge," alleged West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party targted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the issue saying it was an "attempt to kill democracy". 

"This is an attempt to kill democracy, we will protest against this. We will end Mamata Banerjee's jungle raj in West Bengal. We are fighting for democracy, and the people of the state will win. They say there is no sensitive booth in West Bengal and there is no need for Central forces here," he said.  

Several incidents of clashes have been reported from various parts of West Bengal as nomination process for rural body polls are underway in the state. These incidents were reported in Daspur (Paschim Medinipur), Kakdwip (South 24 Parganas), Raninagar (Murshidabad), Saktinagar and Barshul (both in Purba Bardhaman) and Minakhan (North 24 Parganas)

On Tuesday, unidentified miscreants allegedly attacked leaders of Opposition parties while on their way to file nomination papers for the July 8 panchayat polls in the state

A party office of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was "vandalised" at Minakhan in Basirhat subdivision and the candidate was "assaulted" by the miscreants when he was going to file his nomination, the official said, as per the report. 

In another incident, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Dibakar Gharami was allegedly attacked by unidentified people at Sonamukhi in Bankura district while he was heading to the nomination centre. 

In the wake of such incidents, the state election commission (SEC) directed all the district magistrates and superintendent of police to issue prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in a 1-kilometre radius of all nomination centres across the state. 

The orders, which will be in force till Thursday, have been imposed to ensure that the nomination process passed off safely, said an official, as per a report by PTI. 

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the requisition and deployment of central forces for the polls. It also left it to the discretion of the State Election Commission (SEC) to take a call on extension of time for filing of nominations, refusing to consider a prayer in this regard.