Central forces stopping electorates with Aadhaar card to vote: TMC

Kolkata: Apart from the incident where four electorates at Sitalkuchi were killed after Central forces opened fired, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has raised a series of allegation of excesses, including checking of voter cards and such documents, by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) on the day of the fourth phase election.

Allegations of stopping electorate carrying Aadhaar card to rude behaviour with elderly voters "to create an ambience of fear" have been raised against the personnel of Central forces.

The election on Saturday held in 44 Assembly constituencies of five districts —Howrah, Hooghly, South 24-Parganas, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.

It has been alleged that CRPF personnel did not allow voters to vote as they were carrying Aadhaar card at booth number 161-A at Maheshtala in South 24-Parganas. This comes when as per the EC norms the security personnel are not supposed to check voter card or any such document at a polling station. It is the presiding officer or the first polling officer who verifies the identity proof before allowing a person to cast his or her vote. Similar incidents were also found at certain booths in Howrah as well.

Trinamool Congress had raised allegation against the Central force of behaving rudely with elderly voters to create an ambience of fear at booth number 96, 97 and 98 at Dinhata Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar.

"Sending voters back if not carrying voter card and terrorising elderly voters are nothing but tactics to ensure low turnout of electorates considering it would help BJP," said a senior TMC leader.

Moreover, TMC supremo Mamata

Banerjee has also urged the people to cast their votes by overcoming all restrictions that they may face on the day of the election.

TMC also made a series of complaints against the Central force of doing excesses at Chinsurah, Chandernagore, Balagarh, Chanditala, Pandua and Serampore in Hooghly. It was in Chandernagore, where CRPF jawans allegedly harassed electorates and it slowed down the poll process at booth number 119. Again, TMC booth agents were not allowed to enter at booth number 332 at Chinsurah allegedly CRPF personnel. TMC found CISF and CRPF personnel at

Pandua and Serampore respectively of influencing voters to cast votes in favour of BJP.