Nadia, April 29 Amid the ongoing second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, a polling agent was allegedly brutally assaulted at Booth No. 53 in Chapra, Nadia district, raising concerns over poll-related violence.
According to the booth agent, the incident occurred early in the morning when Mosharaf Mir, a BJP polling agent, was on his way to the polling booth to perform his duties.
Speaking to IANS, Mir said, "I was going to Booth No. 53 around 5.40 in the morning as a BJP agent. We wanted a free and fair election so that people could cast their votes peacefully. But some Trinamool miscreants were hiding in the house of Jan Ali Molla. Suddenly, around 15-20 people came out from there with bamboo sticks, rods, and firearms. They hit me on the head with a rod. I fell, but they continued to beat me. There were also four ISF agents present, and they were assaulted as well. After attacking us, they fled the spot, leaving me injured."
Several reports of poll-related violence and clashes between supporters of rival political parties have started surfacing from different corners of the districts where the elections are being conducted, with South 24 Parganas being the epicentre of the disturbance.
Tensions flared up in the Saihati area of Bhangar Assembly constituency, as Trinamool Congress workers staged a protest around the sitting All India Secular Front (AISF) legislator and party candidate from that constituency Md Nawsad Siddique, who reached a polling booth there.
The ruling party supporters started shouting slogans on seeing Md Nawsad Siddique. The situation became even more tense after Siddique and his companions erupted in anger. He claimed that although peaceful polling was going on in the area since morning, Trinamool Congress workers later deliberately tried to create unrest to disrupt the polling process.
The central forces quickly rushed to the spot, separated the two rival groups and brought the situation under control.
At Basanti, the BJP candidate, Vikas Sardar, was attacked and his vehicle was vandalised, allegedly by the Trinamool Congress activists.
The incident took place near booth number 76 in Basanti. When Sardar went to inspect the booth, he was suddenly attacked, and his car was vandalised. An attempt was made to take away the firearm of his personal security guard. It is alleged that even though the central forces were present, they did not come forward to rescue Sardar. Tension has been prevailing in the area over the incident since then.
At Sasan in North 24 Parganas district, a group of Trinamool Congress activists faced massive retaliation from the AISF supporters and villagers, after the ruling party activists allegedly tried to intimidate voters in the area.
Tensions also broke out at booth number 147 of Ramchandrapur in Rajhati-1 panchayat of Khanakul Assembly seat in Hooghly district, following AISF-Trinamool Congress clashes in front of the booth. AISF supporters alleged that the ruling party has placed its agents by forging their polling agent's forms. AISF also alleged that their agents were not allowed to enter the booth after being threatened since Tuesday night. On receiving news of the incident, the AISF candidate of Khanakul went to the booth, and the situation flared up further there.
Meanwhile, in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district, voters were agitated after EVMs malfunctioned at Don Bosco, Liluah Sohanlal Vidyalaya of Bali Assembly constituency. Central forces resorted to a lathi-charge to bring the situation under control. The Congress party and Trinamool's polling agents were injured in the lathi-charge. Two people have been arrested, and a huge police contingent is at the spot.
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