SI injured during KMC poll, opp parties allege terror by TMC

A police sub-inspector was injured when supporters of two political parties clashed immediately after the end of the high-stake election to Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which witnessed a 62 per cent voter turn-out.
Opposition parties alleged widespread violence and terror by Trinamool Congress during polling even as the ruling party dubbed the poll as "peaceful, free and fair" and acused the opposition parties of resorting to a "smear campaign".
Police sources said that the SI was injured when supporters of two parties clashed at Singhi Bagan in Jorasanko area.
The sources, however, could not say immdiately whether he was injured by bomb splinters or bullets and said the SI was rushed to a local hospital where his condition was stated to be critical.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and City Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha visited the injured SI in the hospital.
Reacting to opposition charges, State Election Commissioner S R Upadhay said, "If election was held in proper atmosphere, so many complaints would not have been made. After going through all the reports we can tell you how many complaints are true and how many false."

Terming the civic poll, billed as the "semifinal" before next year's Assembly election, as a "farce", the Congress, CPI-M and BJP accused the TMC of resorting to terror to win the election, a charge rejected by TMC Secretary General and Education Minister Partha Chatterjee.

The SEC, when asked about the possibility of repoll, said the allegations were being looked into and any decision in this regard would be taken tomorrow.
On the incidents of terror and violence, he said, "If such things really happened, it was bad for democracy.