Panchayat violence: SPs asked to take action, says ADG

Superintendents of Police of all the districts have been asked to take action wherever panchayat election related violence was reported, a senior official of the West Bengal Police said here today.

Police forces were asked to ensure there was no major assembly of people before block offices where candidates file nomination and keep tab in neighbouring lanes, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said.

"We are intervening actively," Sharma told reporters at the state secretariat.

He said 50 Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel had been sent to Birbhum district where clashes were reported in a few pockets.

Sharma said 17 arms, 20 rounds of ammunition and five bombs were recovered during raids in the past 24 hours in different parts of state.

There was 1788 preventive arrests, 303 specific arrests and 568 execution of warrants in raids till April 5 to curb panchayat poll related violence, the official said.

To a question, Sharma said a case has been lodged in connection with alleged attack on CPI(M) leader Ramchandra Dom.

He said there were minor disturbances at Bhangor in South 24 Parganas with regard to panchayat poll nominations in which two persons suffered minor injuries.

He said there was report of 7630 nomination papers filed by the ruling Trinamool Congress and 10562 by other parties in gram panchayat so far, while 1264 nominations by the TMC and 1636 nominations by others in panchayat samitis.

The three-tier panchayat election would be held in three phases in the first week of May.