Clashes continue ahead of Bengal's rural polls, SEC raises concern

Amid continuous clashes between workers of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress workers and opposition parties over filing nominations for upcoming panchayat polls, the State Election Commission on Saturday expressed its concern and urged its officials to perform their duties.

After a meeting with poll observers, State Election Commissioner A.K Singh said: "We have received reports of violence from six places across the state."

During the meeting, he instructed poll observers to perform their duties "freely and fairly" without any "fear and intimidation".A

However, clashes were reported in Birbhum, Murshidabad and Coochbehar districts over filing of nominations for rural polls to be held in first week of May.

A rally led by state Congress President Adhir Chowdhury in Murshidadbad's Kandi area was attacked by unidentified miscreants and later party's supporters' gheraod local police station demanding arrests of culprits.

"Is this a healthy democracy while the opposition is not allowed to file nominations? Why is the Trinamool afraid of us?" Chowdhury said.

A severe clash between the BJP activists and Trinamool workers' broke out at Mohammad Bazar area in Burbhum and crude bombs were hurled.

State BJP President Dilip Ghosh categorically said the party would not "leave a single inch without putting up a fight" while Trinamool's Secretary General Partha Chatterjee accused the BJP of trying to indulge violence in the state by "importing outsiders" from neighbouring states.

BJP leader Mukul Roy also alleged that the outsiders were brought by the Trinamool to deter their party candidates from filing nominations.

According to police, outsiders from Jharkhand entered into the district creating violence and additional forces were deployed whenever there is report of untoward incident.

--IANS

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