Bengal Panchayat Elections 2023: Lathi Charge In Howrah As Crowd Attempts To Enter Counting Centre —  WATCH

Some people were standing outside a polling station in Howrah and were trying to enter a counting centre following which Police lathi charged at them.

Representative Image: Police lathi-charged at some people outside a polling station in West Bengal's Howrah

Source : PTI

West Bengal Police lathi-charged a group of people in Howrah as they were allegedly trying to enter a counting centre amid the ongoing counting of votes for the Panchayat Elections 2023. News agency ANI has shared a visual from the site. Meanwhile, journalists in Raiganj burnt their Election Commission ID cards after they were denied entry into a counting centre there, as reported by PTI.

#WATCH | West Bengal panchayat election | Security personnel open lathi charge to disperse a large number of people who gathered outside a polling station in Howrah. They were reportedly attempting to enter the counting centre.

Counting of votes of Panchayat election is taking… pic.twitter.com/j8HRWcnGLC

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2023

Throughout the voting period, incidents of killing, burning of ballot boxes, and clashes kept surfacing. The violence prompted the Bengal State Election Commission to hold re-polling at 696 booths on Monday. The Commission said that ballot papers without the signature of the Presiding Officer and the distinguishing mark rubber stamp affixed at the back of the ballot paper will be considered to be invalid and will not be counted as valid. As per PTI, at least 18 people were reported dead in poll-related violence.

Meanwhile, Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose issued a stern warning this morning against the people who are involved in the violence. Bose said, "There will be a relentless fight against growing violence in Bengal. Those who commit violence in the field will be made to curse the day they are born. All authorities will come down with a heavy hand on the goons and lawbreakers..."

Votes held for 73,887 seats in Zilla parishad, panchayat samiti and gram panchayat will be counted in 339 venues across 22 districts of the state. Altogether 2.06 lakh candidates were in the fray.

"The counting began at 8 am, and it is likely to continue for two days. It will take time for all the ballot papers to be counted and compile results. We hope that a trend will be available by the end of the day," an SEC official told news agency PTI.

The report said all the counting venues will be manned by armed state police personnel and one company of central forces. Prohibitory orders under Sec 144 of CrPC were imposed outside the venue to avoid any untoward incidents, an official said.