Three killed in phase-II of WB Panchayat poll

Three persons, including a kin of a CPI-M candidate, were killed, and several others were injured as political violence erupted in all the three districts -- Bardhhaman, East Medinipur and Hooghly, which went to poll today in the second phase of West Bengal panchayat election.

According to State Election Commission(SEC) secretary Tapas Ray Mohammad Sheikh Hasmat, husband of Manohara Bibi, the CPI-M candidate for the Madhudanga gram panchayat in Burdwan, was killed in a bomb attack. Later, Raj Kumar Khora, allegedly a TMC supporter and one of the attackers, was beaten to death in a counter attack allegedly by CPI-M supporters.Another TMC supporter, Sahazada Mullick, lost his life in a similar political violence in Bardhaman's Mangalkot.

A CPI-M candidate for Panuria gram panchayat of the district Siddhartha Banerjee was seriously injured in a political clash. Reports of many such political violence engaging TMC, Left and Congress kept pouring in throughout the day, leaving many injured. Amid the two election hotspots – Singur (Hooghly) and Nandigram (East Midinipur), known for the intense protests led by Mamata Banerjee against land acquisition that had propelled TMC to power, there political clashes between ruling Trinamool Congress and Congress workers in some of the booths of Nandigram.

Also, clashes between TMC and CPI(M) supporters and boothjamming were reported in Mahishadal (Hooghly) and       Moyna(Burdwan) areas. Following reports of violence, security was tightened in many places with additional deployment of forces.

Polling took place today in 12,869 seats in rural bodies spread over three districts  in second of the five-phased panchayat election.