West Bengal panchayat polls: Guv CV Ananda Bose visits violence-hit areas

Upon his visit, Bose met the family members of two victims who were killed in June in the political clashes. He also visited a hospital to meet with the people injured in the clashes

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday visited some of the violence-hit areas in north Bengal’s Cooch Behar district where political clashes broke out in the run-up to the crucial panchayat elections in the state scheduled for July 8.

West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose (Twitter Photo)

Upon his visit, Bose met the family members of two victims who were killed in June in the political clashes. He also visited a hospital to meet with the people injured in the clashes.

Sambhu Das, brother-in-law of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) panchayat candidate was killed on June 17, while a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker Babu Haque was shot dead last week owing to the political clashes in the state.

In June, another local BJP leader Prasanta Basunia was allegedly shot dead in the district. Bose met the family members of Das and Basunia on Saturday.

Bose, who is on a trip to the northern district, reached Cooch Behar late on Friday night. Political clashes broke out in the district after the state poll panel announced the dates for the crucial panchayat polls last month.

Earlier in the day candidates and workers of opposition parties including the BJP, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) and the Congress, queued up at the circuit house where the governor had put up. He spoke to the candidates who voiced their concern over incidents of violence in Cooch Behar. Some alleged that TMC workers were not allowing them to campaign before the polls.

Meanwhile, Union minister Nisith Pramanik also met Bose earlier in the morning along with five BJP legislators.

“We have briefed the governor about the latest developments and the violence. He has assured to restore democracy in the district. He also assured that he would take steps so that polling is held in a free and fair manner,” Pramanik told the reporters after the meeting.

Even as the governor was stationed in the district and touring the violence-hit spots, allegations poured in that the house of a Congress candidate was attacked and set on fire.

“The governor should have first seen the history of violence in previous panchayat polls in the state. Out of 341 blocks in the state, violence took place in four to five blocks this time. This time the opposition parties have filed more than 1.5 lakh nominations. He is being led by the BJP. He has made Raj Bhavan in Kolkata a BJP office,” Santanu Sen, TMC MP, told mediapersons.

Clashes were also reported from Bhangore in South 24 Parganas where crude bombs were hurled. A clash broke out allegedly between the TMC and CPIM at Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas.

At least 11 persons have so far been killed and dozens injured across the state amid the ongoing clashes since the panchayat polls were announced in early June. The Calcutta high court has directed the state poll panel to deploy central forces in all districts.

A notification issued by the poll panel on Friday, however, stated that central forces would be deployed for naka checking, and route marches across the district.

“The Union home ministry has sanctioned 337 companies of central forces. The state poll panel had requisitioned 822 companies. We have sent letters to sanction 485 companies more,” said an official