Several injured in West Bengal post-poll violence

Several persons were injured in post-poll clashes between political parties in two districts of West Bengal, police said on Monday.

Many polling agents of opposition parties were beaten up, and houses and vehicles of many activists were attacked after voting on Sunday in nine constituencies in the last and seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls and by-elections to four Assembly seats.

Two BJP workers -- Chandal Mondal and Nantu Bera of the Sagar Assembly segment under the Mathurapur Lok Sabha constituency -- were admitted to Sagar Gramin Hospital after thrashed allegedly by the Trinamool Congress workers on Sunday night, while they were returning to their homes.

"Two injured persons were rescued from the spot and hospitalised. A complaint has been lodged. No one has been arrested and investigation is on," a police officer said.

Father of a Bharatiya Janata Party worker in the Dum Dum area was stabbed allegedly by Trinamool supporters, said a local BJP leader.

Houses of three BJP activists at Gosaba in the Jaynagar Lok Sabha constituency were attacked by miscreants allegedly backed by Trinamool after the end of voting on Sunday. "Some Trinamool supporters damaged houses of our two activists on Sunday, and that of another workers on Monday," a local BJP leader said.

A clash between the Trinamool and the BJP workers broke out on Monday in Habra's Kultala area of the Barasat Lok Sabha constituency after a polling agent of the BJP was beaten up.

Trinamool, however, accused the BJP local leaders of ransacking vehicle of the party's panchayat leader on Sunday.

CPI(M) activists at Kashipur under the Kolkata North constituency accused Trinamool workers of beating up their polling agents on Monday.

A Trinamool office was ransacked and 10-12 people were injured in a scuffle between two groups of activists in the Maniktala area under the Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency. They traded charges over bringing outsiders during the vote on Sunday.

"We don't believe in violence and have asked them (activists) to stay calm. A clash erupted due to ego problems among some booth-level workers," state minister Sadhan Pandey said.

Residents of the Bhatpara Assembly seat in North 24 Parganas staged several protests against violent political clashes during by-election on Sunday. The by-election was caused by Trinamool MLA Arjun Singh's defection to the BJP two months ago.

Train services in Eastern Railway's Sealdah-Krishnanagar division were disrupted for two and a half hours after hundreds of residents squatted on the tracks at Kankinara station, protesting against clashes.

The BJP supporters too protested at the Jaggadal police station, accusing security personnel of not being active in providing security to locals.

The BJP fielded Arjun Singh's son Pawan Kumar Singh and the Trinamool, Madan Mitra, an accused in the Saradha and Narada scam, for Bhatpara by-election.

Mitra on Monday lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Office, accusing Singh and his team of inciting violence in the area after the vote.

--IANS

bdc/rs/pcj