New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party's workers on Monday clashed with police personnel in West Bengal's Balurghat during protests against alleged rigging in the state's civic polls.
The clash was reported as BJP called a 12-hour statewide bandh today from 6 am to 6 pm alleging rigging and violence in the municipal election.
As BJP workers clashed with police personnel in Balurghat, the party's West Bengal unit chief Sukanta Majumdar blamed the police for the incident.
"Our workers were protesting peacefully, they are beaten up. Police are playing the role of a cadre for TMC, this is against democracy," Sukanta Majumdar alleged, as reported by ANI.
On the other hand, transportation was normal and most of the commercial establishments remained open in South Bengal, as per news agency PTI
BJP workers staged blockades of railway tracks and roads in some areas. They sat down on railway tracks in Hooghly station. Roads were blockaded Nandigram constituency in Purba Medinipur district where last year, Suvendu Adhikari had successfully challenged CM Mamata Banerjee in the state assembly election
According to PTI, some saffron party workers also attempted to stop government buses from running but were prevented by the police from doing so.
Meanwhile, the bandh evoked a good response in North Bengal as shops remained shut and vehicles off the roads.
BJP had performed well here in last year's assembly elections.
Office-goers reportedly faced problems as private commercial vehicles remained off the roads. Few government buses plied the roads.
The BJP had called for a 6 AM to 6 PM shutdown across West Bengal in protest against "widespread rigging and violence" during elections to 107 municipalities which took place on Sunday.
Clashes, Rigging Incidents Amid West Bengal Civic Polls
Elections were scheduled in 108 municipalities. However, with TMC winning one civic body uncontested in Dinhata in Coochbehar district, elections were held in 107 towns.
The police claimed that there has been no widespread violence but only a "few stray incidents", PTI reported.
However, widespread violence, rigging incidents, and clashes with the police were reported from various parts of Bengal from North to South.
In several parts of the state, EVMs were destroyed by unidentified goons.
"What happened today was not polling but a mockery of democracy. The elections have been reduced to a farce by the ruling party miscreants in every South to North Bengal municipality. On Monday, we have called a 12-hour shutdown to protest against it," state BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.
Reacting to the allegations of widespread violence, TMC Secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said "If the opposition parties don't have polling agents, we can't be blamed. The opposition is to be blamed for today's poll violence".
He alleged that BJP called the shutdown "to ensure that there are disturbances".
The CPI (M) also termed the civic polls as a farce and said it will organise agitations across the state.
Notably, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar summoned State Election Commissioner Saurav Das to brief him on the situation on Monday morning.
The votes will be counted on March 2.