In what could potentially emerge as yet another point of friction between a state and central functionary, the West Bengal State Election Commission on Saturday moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order directing deployment of Central forces in the state.
This directive came due to violence observed in the run-up to the panchayat polls. Six people, including a Trinamool Congress candidate, have been killed in the state since the polls were announced on June 9. Thus, the High Court had asked that central forces be deployed within 48 hours of the order.
Surprisingly, the move went contrary to the state election commissioner Rajiv Sinha’s earlier assertion that they would comply with the orders of the High Court.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee argued that though central forces had been deployed in Manipur, the violence did not end. The opposition parties raised questions on the WBSEC’s rationale when the High Court had stated that the cost of deployment would be borne by the Centre.
During the day, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose had visited Canning in South 24 Paragnas district which was affected by the violence during the filing of nominations. He met people who alleged that they were not allowed to file nomination papers.
On Saturday, a Trinamool Congress gram panchayat head was beaten to death at Kaliachak in Malda district. He too was a candidate in the upcoming polls. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called out the incumbent Trinamool Congress as responsible for the overall violence in the state, the latter’s MLA from Malda and Minister in the state government Sabina Yeasmin said a faction of Trinamool leaders denied ticket to contest the polls joined the Congress and were behind the murder at Malda.
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