Cooch Behar: Stray incidents of violence reported, TMC booth torched in Bakshirhat

Cooch Behar: Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from Cooch Behar with both the TMC and the BJP filing a large number of complaints with the Election Commission.

At 5 pm the voting percentage stood at 77.73%. A CRPF jawan died. Violence continued even after polling ended in Sitalkuchi. Allegations have been levelled against the BJP for trying to loot the EVMs in front of Sitalkuchi school. Four bombs were lobbed when the EVM were being transported.

Nilesh Kumar (42) from Bihar was in charge of the QRT team. On Thursday night he started bleeding from his nose and mouth. When he was taken to Mathabhanga hospital, the doctor declared the

jawan dead. Since morning, there were reports of unrest from Sitai, Dinhata and Cooch Behar South Assembly Constituencies of Cooch Behar district. Trinamool president Ananta Burman of block B of Dinhata has been beaten up in the Vetaguri area of Dinhata. He is currently under treatment at Dinhata sub-district hospital. North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha visited the injured Anant Burman and proceeded to Vetaguri. A TMC booth was torched in Bakshirhat in the morning. One person has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Two BJP workers were attacked in booth number 6/191 of Sitai Vidhan Sabha constituency in one block of Dinhata. Later they were brought to the Dinhata sub-district hospital by the firemen. In Natabari assembly constituency booth number 236, the area witnessed clashes between the Trinamool BJP. The police recovered two fresh bombs, one each from Kharizabala and Dinhata Villages of Vetaguri. BJP candidate Nisith Pramanik said: “TMC is creating unrest because they have understood that they will lose.” In Mathabhanga Block No. 1 Nayarhat Village Panchayat 5/ 53 Genduguri booth, a clash took place between TMC and BJP. Allegations of preventing TMC workers from voting in Chhota Shalbari Gram Panchayat area of Shitalkuchi Assembly constituency were brought up against the BJP.

In the Chowdhury Hat area of Dinhata, the BSF opened the gate to enable Indians who reside on the other side of the barbed wire fence to cast their votes. Udayan Guha stated: “All attempts were made by the BJP to disrupt polls but people will give them a befitting reply for missing for the last 5 years.”