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WB panchayat polls: Death toll reaches 16; last day of campaigning today
One person was killed in a blast at Beldanga while making crude bombs and the person has been identified, police said
One person was killed in an explosion while he was allegedly making crude bombs at Beldanga in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district taking the total death toll to 16 in panchayat poll-related violence reported from the state, police said.
“One person was killed in a blast at Beldanga while making crude bombs. He has been identified. We are investigating,” said a police officer.
In a separate incident, a BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) worker was found dead at Md Bazar in Birbhum district. His wife is contesting as an independent candidate in the upcoming panchayat polls.
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According to police, his family members allege that he was murdered.
The panchayat elections are scheduled for Saturday (July 8) and Thursday is the last day of campaigning for all political parties.
The counting of ballots will be held on July 11.
Meanwhile, political clashes remained unabated in various districts across the state.
Earlier on June 24, another person was killed in a similar explosion while allegedly making crude bombs in a jute field at Beldanga, police had said.
In light of such poll-related violence incidents, West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose constituted a committee to maintain peace and order.
The committee, ‘Peace and Harmony committee’, will be headed by former Calcutta high court chief justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee.
Reports of violence also poured in from Tehatta in Nadia and Kultali in South 24 Parganas.
On June 21, the Calcutta high court had directed that the central forces should be deployed in all polling stations across the state.
There are more than 61,000 polling stations in the state.
The union ministry of home affairs had sanctioned 822 companies of central forces and state armed police for the July 8 panchayat polls.
