New Delhi: A clash broke out between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during scrutiny of nominations papers for the panchayat elections in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on Saturday, news agency PTI reported. According to the report, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik was also allegedly attacked.
Lashing out at the ruling party, the BJP alleged that a bomb was hurled at the MoS while police stood helpless.
Narrating the incident, MoS Nisith Pramanik, as quoted by PTI, said police stood as silent spectators when the clash broke out. He further said the papers were allegedly snatched from the BJP workers and the women were assaulted. Such acts are an insult to the Constitution, the minister added.
According to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar, TMC leader Udayan Guha was present at the site of the incident with around 1000-1500 goons who allegedly snatched the B forms from the BJP workers at the Block Development Office in Sahebganj.
“A bomb was hurled at the car of Nisith Pramanik. Police is literally helpless. Udayan Guha is standing there with his goons, with 1000-1500 people. They are snatching Form B from the hands of our workers. Election Commission and State administration are silent over this. If a minister can be attacked like that, we can imagine what the situation in West Bengal might be. Is Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee running the state or doing drama,” news agency ANI quoted Sukanta Majumdar as saying.
The fresh incident on Saturday marks the continuation of violence that was reported from the state ahead of the panchayat polls scheduled to be held on July 8.
The last day of nomination filing for the panchayat polls on Thursday was marked by violence in several parts of the state, leaving three dead and others injured.
Two persons were killed at Bhangore in South 24 Parganas district, around 30 km from Kolkata, while another youth was gunned down by miscreants at Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district.