WB rural polls : 1 killed in violence over nomination filing on extended date

Violence erupted at Suri in Birbhum district over the filing of fresh nominations for panchayat election in West Bengal today, in which one person was killed and a few others were injured.

Both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP have claimed that the person killed was their worker.

The filing of nominations began at 11 am and ended at 3 pm.

The Calcutta High Court had on Friday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to extend the date.

The SEC issued a fresh notification on Saturday announcing April 23 as the new date for filing nominations to the three-tier panchayat elections.

The opposition parties alleged that violence took place in Birbhum, Murshidabad, Malda, Burdwan, Nadia, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts.

According to the police, BJP and Trinamool Congress workers clashed at Suri in Birbhum district over filing of nominations. Bombs were hurled by both the sides during the clashes.

State Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim said one TMC worker was killed in Birbhum by the BJP activists.

"The victim Sk Dildar was a Trinamool activist. He was killed by contract killers from Jharkhand hired by the BJP. The party had in the past caused disturbances at Mohammadbazar by bringing people from Jharkhand," he alleged.

On the other hand, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh claimed that the victim belonged to his party.

"Our party activist was killed and a few others were injured when TMC goons attacked BJP workers in Suri. TMC is afraid of facing free and fair elections," he said.

State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury claimed that even MLAs and MPs were attacked by the ruling party.

Congress chief whip in the Assembly Manoj Chakrabarty was assaulted in Murshidabad, he claimed and alleged that police remained mute spectators.

"They (TMC) don't want democracy. In the name of rural election, they are enacting a farce," Chowdhury said.

However, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee accused the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) of trying to delay the poll process.

"They have no organisation. The BJP should not think that this is Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh," he said.

Chatterjee alleged that the state BJP president was using "threatening language" but the SEC was letting him go.