News Analysis India

Tag: Sitalkuchi

  • 14 dead in turf fight after Bengal verdict

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Hours after trends showed Trinamool Congress’ landslide victory in West Bengal on Sunday, the state convulsed under post-poll violence wave from Sitalkuchi in the north to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas that left at least 14 people dead, including two women. While the BJP claimed seven of the victims were its supporters, the Trinamool counted six of the diseased as its workers.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and inquired about the situation. BJP president J P Nadda met the families of the victims to express solidarity. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya alleged that houses over 4,000 houses were ransacked and at least 100 shops were looted. The party also alleged that two of its booth agents were gang-raped, but there was no confirmation from the police.

    ALSO READ: Around 300-400 BJP workers entered Assam from Bengal amid post-poll violence, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

    Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said in most of the cases, the deaths were a result of the BJP’s factionalism between old workers and turncoats. “In some places, the BJP’s provocation triggered public anger,” he claimed. A worker of the Indian Secular Force, a partner of the Left Front, was killed in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas. In Kolkata’s Kankurgachi, slain BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar’s mother alleged her son was beaten to death by Trinamool supporters.

    Shovarani Mondal, a woman in her mid-60s, was allegedly killed at Jagaddal in North 24 Parganas, when she tried to protect her BJP worker son from being dragged away. In Sitalkuchi, 19-year-old Manik Baidya was shot dead by alleged Trinamool supporters. The Trinamool alleged two of their supporters Saju Khan and Bivas Bag were beaten to death by BJP supporters in Jamalpur, East Burdwan, for shouting Jay Bangla. In Hooghly, Trinamool worker Debu Pramanik was hacked to death at his home. Another party man Ganesh Mandal was killed at Raina, East Burdwan. 

  • West Bengal elections: EC orders adjournment of polls at polling station no 126 at Sitalkuchi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI:  The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday ordered adjournment of polls at polling station number 126 in the Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency of West Bengal amid reports of violence. A spokesperson of the poll panel said the decision was based on an interim report filed by special observers.

    ALSO READ| TMC asks EC to act against BJP ‘goons’ creating ‘ruckus’ in Cooch Behar

    Detailed reports have been sought from them and the state Chief Electoral Officer by 5 pm. The decision comes against the backdrop of four persons being killed as central forces allegedly opened fire after coming under attack from locals, who “attempted to snatch their rifles”, in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on Saturday.

    CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF PHASE-IV OF BENGAL POLLS

    A senior district police officer said that the incident took place in the Sitalkuchi area when voting was underway. “According to preliminary reports, four persons were killed as CISF personnel opened fire after coming under attack in a village,” he said.

  • Bengal poll booth violence: Sources cite ‘attack on CISF QRT, injury to child’ as reason

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A CISF quick reaction team coming under attack during a security patrol and injury to a child in the commotion are stated to have triggered the violence at a polling booth in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district which left four people dead on Saturday, official sources said.

    They said it all started around 9:35 AM when a CISF team, led by an Inspector-rank officer, was inspecting the Jor Patki area of Sitalkuchi constituency jointly with the local police with an aim to “clear the elements which were resisting” the voters from reaching the polling booth no 126 at Amtali Madhyamik Shiksha Kendra and other locations nearby.

    The security personnel intervened to stop this crowd of about 50-60 people, and in this commotion a child fell down. After this, some “miscreants” attacked the four-wheeler carrying the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) quick reaction team (QRT) and the personnel on-board, the sources said.

    “The QRT reacted in self-defence and fired six rounds in air to disperse the mob. Later, a Deputy Commandant rank officer and in-charge of the CISF unit (567/Charlie Company) reached the spot and pacified the mob. He later left,” a senior officer said.

    About an hour later, the officials said, a group of about 150 people reached the polling booth no 186 in the vicinity, and “manhandled the polling staff”. The crowd allegedly beat up a homeguard jawan and an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker and also tried to snatch the weapon of the on-duty CISF personnel when they intervened, they said.

    The officials said that as the mob got “aggressive”, two rounds were fired in the air. But sensing the “imminent danger to their life”, the security personnel fired another seven bullet rounds towards the crowd. Four people were killed in the firing by the central forces, police said.

    In the meantime, a CISF QRT and some reinforcements from the local police reached the spot, they said, adding the polling was halted even as the crowd began to melt soon. In Delhi, the Election Commission later ordered the adjournment of polls at polling station number 126 in the Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency.

    The Central Industrial Security Force is an armed police force under the Union Home Ministry and is tasked to guard major civil airports and vital installations in the country. It has deployed multiple companies for providing security during the eight-phased assembly polls in West Bengal.