Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday met family members of a deceased party worker in Murshidabad after he was allegedly killed during violence that ensued during Panchayat polls. He said that the party will protest and go to court against the alleged murder. His visit came as protests were held in different parts of West Bengal today against the violence that rocked the panchayat elections and over allegations of irregularities.
"A 62-year-old man was murdered here yesterday. How many more people will be killed? There was violence before the polls and also after it. We will agitate and also go to court against this murder," Congress MP Adhir said in Murshidabad, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP President Dr Sukanta Majumdar visited the violence-affected Hazratpur village in Dakshin Dinajpur and accused the police of not performing their duty, ANI reported.
In a video, he was seen engaged in a heated argument with police officials and said, "You are unable to perform your duty." The officers vehemently denied the charge.
BJP workers staged a protest outside the West Bengal State Election Commission office against the Panchayat poll violence.
Bengal Panchayat Poll Violence: Police Baton-Charge Protestors In Nandakumar
According to news agency PTI, BJP workers blocked the Haldia-Mecheda state highway at Nandakumar in Purba Medinipur district claiming that ballot boxes were being tampered with at the counting centre at Srikrishnapur High School.
"We received information around 3 am that the ballot boxes were being changed. We are demanding repolling at all the booths in the area under the protection of central forces, besides counting of votes at the booths itself," said Tamas Dinda, a leader of the BJP's youth wing in Tamluk, as per PTI's report.
As the situation escalated, police baton-charged the protesters to bring the situation under control, officer-in-charge of Nandakumar police station Manoj Kumar Jha told PTI.
Meanwhile, Congress workers blocked the National Highway 12 in the Rathbari area in Malda, protesting against the violence during polling on Saturday.
"We have hit the streets in protest against Saturday's violence. We will also go to the court against it," Congress MP Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury said, as per the report.
In Malda district's Harishchandrapur area, Bengal minister Tajmul Hossain's car was vandalised in Basta village by some miscreants around 10 pm on Saturday.
A police vehicle was also vandalised as stones were hurled. A policeman was injured in the attack. It is suspected that miscreants from Bihar, just across the inter-state border, are behind the incident, police said, as per PTI.
The police said that an investigation was underway.
In Uttar Dinajpur, two cars were set ablaze and several vehicles, including a state-run bus, were vandalised as the agitation turned violent in the Chakulia police station area. The incident happened on the Rampur-Chakulia Road and National Highway 31 in the morning, PTI reported.
According to the report, the protestors alleged that they were unable to vote during the polls due to intimidation and repeated calls to the administration went in vain.
Congress workers held similar agitations in Murshidabad district's Beldanga, claiming that supporters of the ruling TMC indulged in intimidation of voters and false voting with impunity during the local body election.
At Amdanga in North 24 Parganas, clashes were reported between ISF and TMC supporters, as per PTI.
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