IANS/Kolkata
Four people were killed, including one in firing by central security forces, in round three of the five-phase West Bengal panchayat elections yesterday.
The turnout ranged from 70% to 74%, and there were allegations of rigging and booth capturing, officials said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed, however, that polling was “peaceful”.
Three deaths were reported from South 24 Parganas district, and another in North 24 Parganas district. “Till 5pm, 74.45% polling was reported in North 24 Parganas, 70.25% in Howrah and 70% in South 24 Parganas districts,” a state election commission official said.
Amal Haldar died after he was shot in the head in Mayahauri village of South 24 Parganas district as a central paramilitary trooper opened fire to control a mob which went on a rampage, in protest against the slow pace of polling, said Joynagar MLA and Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist (SUCI-C) leader Tarun Naskar.
Naskar said Haldar was an SUCI activist.
Motherbux Mallick, a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supporter, died in a bomb attack while standing in the queue for voting in Bodai of Amdanga block in North 24 Parganas.
Sanat Roy, a worker of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress, was shot dead during violence in Laxmikantapur village under Usthi police station of South 24 Parganas. The body of a teenager was found at Ghutari Sharif.
Addressing an election meeting at Rampurhat in Birbhum district, the chief minister said the third phase was peaceful, and accused the CPI-M of “crying hoarse about terror” as its plans to stall polling had failed.
Trinamool All India general secretary Mukul Roy claimed polling was “completely free and fair”, and blamed the opposition for the violence.
