Three killed in West Bengal poll violence; 75 pc voting

Three persons, including husband of a CPI(M) candidate, were on Monday killed and several others injured in violence during the second phase of panchayat elections in West Bengal where 75 per cent polling was recorded.

The three districts to go to the rural polls on Monday were Burdwan, Hoogly and East Midnapore.

“Three people have been killed in the violence in Burdwan district, ” State Election Commission(SEC) secretary Tapas Ray told

PTI.

Police said Sheikh Hasmat, the husband of a CPI(M) candidate Monowara Bibi, was killed in a bomb attack at Madhudanga gram Panchayat in Burdwan’s Jamuria area.

Another person, Rajkumar Kora, who was allegedly among to those who threw the bomb, was lynched by the mob.

Kata Mullick was killed in another crude bomb attack near the Hijjona panchayat office in Mangalkote area, the police said.

At least 12 people were injured in violence in sporadic violence in several parts of the Burdwan and East Midnapore districts.

The CPI(M) candidate, Siddhartha Banerjee, for the Panuria gram panchayat in Burdwan was beaten up allegedly by ruling Trinamool Congress supporters, while a CPI(M) woman candidate, Suptava Karpah, was arrested at Rayan in the same district on the charge of influencing voters, the police said.

Polling was peaceful in Hoogly district, in which Singur falls, barring an incident when a local Trinamool Congress leader Bocha was seen allegedly interfering inside a booth when voting was on.

SEC sources said it was contemplating repolling in some booths of Burdwan and Hoogly districts but did not elaborate.

The sources said an average 75 per cent polling was recorded till 5 p.m. in the three districts. The percentage will increase as queues of voters were still waiting outside the booths to exercise their franchise.