TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to hold virtual meeting with counting agents

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 1 : All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee will hold a virtual meeting on Saturday, with all counting agents and relevant party stakeholders.

Earlier on Thursday, the political row over the central forces deployment in West Bengal during polling intensified as TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the forces of acting "BJP private army" and manhandling citizens, alleging that such action led to the death of an elderly man in Udaynarayanpur.

In an X post, he claimed that the central forces manhandled the man and his son, who were there to vote. He added that after the incident, the man collapsed and was declared dead on arrival, claiming the forces have been "unleashed on the people of Bengal" to suppress the democratic process of elections.

"Central Forces under Amit Shah have become BJP's PRIVATE ARMY- A gang of licensed thugs unleashed on the people of Bengal. In Udaynarayanpur, an elderly man went to cast his vote with his son. Too frail to walk unaided, his son tried to help him into the booth. Central Forces pushed and manhandled both. The old man collapsed, was rushed to Amta Hospital and declared dead on arrival.Since dawn, these Central Forces have been terrorising ordinary citizens- slapping women, assaulting the elderly, attacking even children," he said.

He invoked the memory of the 2021 Sitalkuchi incident, describing the current situation as the "SITALKUCHI MENTALITY of 2021: cold-blooded, merciless violence against unarmed civilians."

Sitalkuchi had seen violence during the assembly polls of 2021. Four people were killed in firing by central forces there in the fourth phase of polling. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) had said that its personnel opened fire in self-defence after a mob attacked them and tried to steal their weapons.

"BJP paid a heavy price for the blood of innocents in 2021. They will pay an even heavier price in 2026," he said.

The final phase of polling for the high-octane West Bengal assembly elections concluded at 6 PM, with voter turnout hitting remarkable numbers at 90% before the closing hour.

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