Poll-related violence rocks parts of West Bengal

A five-year-old girl was reportedly injured when miscreants hurled bombs at a house in Duttapukur of North 24 Parganas district as sporadic incidences of violence related to the ongoing polls rocked various parts of West Bengal, police said on Tuesday.

In Babpur village under Barasat Lok Sabha constituency, a small bomb was hurled outside a house damaging the wooden window panes, an officer of Duttapukur police station said.

According to sources, a little girl who was resting on the bed got minor injuries and her eyes were saved luckily.

However, the police said that the family did not mention anything related to the injury.

The police officer confirmed that most of the people in the area are Forward Bloc supporters but it is unclear if the house was attacked due to any political turmoil.

In Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency's Selampore village, a case of crude bomb hurling was reported. The election for this seat got over on May 6.

"On Tuesday morning I visited the area and recovered a crude bomb but no formal complaint has been lodged. There is no report of any injury," an officer of Titagarh police station said.

According to sources in the area, the violence followed the fifth-phase voting on May 6.

In West Midnapore's Mohanpur area, the BJP workers allegedly torched a thatched house of a Trinamool Panchayat member. Later the fire was doused by the villagers.

"Most of us were attending Suvendu Adhikari's meeting when some BJP men burnt our flags and a disturbance broke out. Later they torched my old house," Kholin Mullick, the Trinamool member said.

Denying the allegations, a local BJP member said: "The house was burnt by their (Trinamool) workers. It is a ploy to file fake cases against us..."

Elections for Medinipur seat will be held on May 12. Barasat parliamentary constituency will go to polls in the seventh phase on May 19.

--IANS

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