'No Details On Sensitive Polling Stations, Forces Inadequately Utilised': BSF On Bengal Panchayat Poll Violence

The BSF said that it wrote several letters to SEC regarding information on sensitive polling stations but Bengal government only provided numbers and not the locations or any other details.

BSF said that the security forces deployed in West Bengal on Panchayat polling day was not adequately used as violence marred polling. ( Image Source :PTI )

The Border Security Force on Sunday claimed that the West Bengal government did not provide adequate information on the sensitive polling booths in the state as violence marred the panchayat election voting day on Saturday. BSF Deputy Inspector General said despite several letters written to the state election commission seeking information on sensitive polling booths, the state government provided only the numbers and not the locations or any other details. He also said that the security forces troops deployed were not adequately used. 

“We had written several letters to the West Bengal State Election Commission regarding information on sensitive polling booths, but on June 7 West Bengal govt responded with only the numbers of sensitive polling booths and did not provide the locations or other details,” said BSF DIG SS Guleria, reported ANI. 

“59,000 troops of Central Armed Police Force and state armed police from 25 states were not adequately utilised in security duties,” he added. 

We had written several letters to West Bengal State Election Commission regarding information on sensitive polling booths, but on June 7 West Bengal govt responded with only the numbers of sensitive polling booths and did not provide the locations or other details. 59,000 troops…

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

"Yesterday troops of BSF, CAPF and State Armed Forces were deployed for the Panchayat polls. No casualty was reported at the places these troops were deployed. Wherever these troops were deployed the elections were conducted smoothly...We did not receive a list of sensitive, very sensitive polling booths which is helpful for the deployment of forces. We wrote to the state election commission but did not receive the required information," Guleria told the news agency on Sunday. 

The panchayat elections were marred by violence, both in the run-up to the elections and on election day. As clashes and incidents of booth capturing were reported in various districts, 18 people were reported dead in poll-related violence.

Ten members of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) were killed, three each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, and two each from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), as per an ANI report.

These incidents sparked a spat between the TMC and the BJP, with the latter demanding re-elections in several booths.

Several instances of ballot box vandalism and destruction were also reported throughout the day.

Ballot boxes and ballot papers were set on fire at a booth in Baravita Govt Primary School in the Dinhata area of Cooch Behar district, ANI reported. 

Locals in the Barnachina area set fire to a ballot box, accusing it of being tampered with, while miscreants set fire to a police vehicle in the Murshidabad district, it added.