As counting in the violence-marred West Bengal panchayat elections progresses on the second day, fresh clashes have been reported from several parts of the state. Three persons, including two activists of the Indian Secular Front (ISF), were killed and several policemen injured in South 24 Parganas district as a clash broke out outside a counting centre in Bhangore.
A senior IPS officer, his bodyguard and several other policemen as well as a few members of the ISF were injured during the clash. The two deceased ISF supporters were identified as Rezaul Gazi and Hasan Mollah, while the other person was Raju Mollah, a senior officer said. According to police officials, members of the ISF hurled bombs at the counting centre, and the police resorted to baton charge. Police personnel fired a few rounds of rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob.
Shops remained closed in Bhangore, a violence hot-spot since the election dates were announced on June 8. A bomb squad also recovered crude bombs from several localities in Bhangore on Wednesday. West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose visited the families of those affected by the poll violence.
The violence rocked the state even on voting day despite heavy deployment of central forces ans state police personnel. Since elections were announced last month, at least 33 people have lost their lives in poll-related violence, with the TMC suffering 60 per cent of the deaths, PTI reported. Re-polling was held on July 11, in over 690 booths affected by violence on voting day.
A fact-finding team from the BJP arrived in the state on Wednesday to assess the ground situation. The four-member team, led by former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will visit violence-hit districts of north and south Bengal. The ruling Trinamool Congress, poised for a landslide victory, mocked the BJP and urged the party to send a 'fact-finding' team to Manipur instead.
As of 11:30 am on Wednesday, the TMC has won in 34,560 gram panchayat seat with the rival BJP a distant second with 9,621 seats. In all elections are being held for 63,229 gram panchayat seats. The CPI(M) has won 2,908 and is leading in 86 seats. The Congress won 2,515 seats and is leading in 71.