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Election must be through ballots, not bullets: West Bengal guv
On Saturday he visited some spots in North 24 Parganas and Nadia. He met the family of an injured person and went to the hospital in Barasat where the person was admitted
Kolkata: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited some of the violence-hit areas on Saturday even as reports of deaths poured in from across the state.
The crucial panchayat polls kicked off from 7 am. The Governor hit streets in the morning to take stock of the situation.
“I have been in the field right from the morning. People requested me and stopped my motorcade on the way. They told me about the murders happening around them, told me about the goons not allowing them to go to the polling booths. It should cause concern to all of us. This is the most sacred day for democracy. The election must be through ballots and not bullets,” Bose told reporters.
The Governor had said on Friday that he would be in the field even before the voting process begins and return after it ends.
“I will be on the road on Saturday. For the past few days, I have been mobile. Tomorrow before the voting begins, I will be on the road. I will go back after the voting ends. I will take stock of what is happening across the state. I will take corrective measures to the extent I am entitled to,” Bose told reporters on Friday.
On Saturday he visited some spots in North 24 Parganas and Nadia. He met the family of an injured person and went to the hospital in Barasat where the person was admitted. He arranged for shifting the victim to a Kolkata-base hospital.
Bose was stopped near Basudebpur on his way to Nadia. Supporters of opposition parties complained about rigging and violence. Later in the day he again headed for North 24 Parganas.
The Governor has been visiting violence hit areas in South 24 Parganas, Cooch Behar and Murshidabad where he met the family members of victims killed in the run up to the polls.
A peace room (help line) was launched at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata in June which has been flooded with phone calls. Since the peace room was opened on June 19 it has received around 1500 calls. On the polling day it received around 200 calls till afternoon.
Earlier on Thursday the Governor had pulled up the state election commissioner claiming that the latter has failed in his duties.
“If democracy is dead during this panchayat election, who is the killer? Will the state election commissioner please raise his hand? You should know who are the killers...You are the custodian of the lives of the people during election,” Bose said in a press conference at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata.
Top officials of the state poll panel however had refused to comment.
