Violence continued unabated on the final day of filing nominations for the West Bengal panchayat elections, with two fatalities reported in separate incidents in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas district. A supporter of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and an activist of the Trinamool Congress lost their lives amidst the clashes, which involved the hurling of crude bombs and the torching of vehicles.
In response to the escalating violence, the Calcutta High Court has directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to deploy Central forces across all 22 districts of the state. The court expressed concern over the lack of effective measures taken to identify sensitive areas, highlighting the need for immediate action.
The State government, represented by counsel Kalyan Banerjee, expressed a preference for requisitioning police from states like Odisha, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab, rather than relying on Central forces. However, the court’s directive emphasizes the urgency of deploying Central forces to restore peace and maintain law and order during the election process.
Meanwhile, violence also erupted in Kathalbari, Chopra, and Uttar Dinjapur districts, where a rally of Left Front and Congress supporters en route to file nomination papers was fired upon. Two Communist Party of India (Marxist) supporters were reportedly killed in the clashes. The state administration has yet to confirm the reported deaths, but several individuals sustained bullet injuries and were rushed to nearby state-run hospitals.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, breaking her silence on the violence, attributed the clashes to the ISF in Bhangar and the Left parties in Chopra. She claimed that her party supporters had retaliated to previous attacks, but expressed uncertainty about the situation on the day of her statement. The deployment of Central forces within 48 hours, as mandated by the Calcutta High Court, aims to quell the ongoing violence and ensure a peaceful electoral process.
