TMC's Abhishek Banerjee claims voter death after 'assault' by central forces

Kolkata: Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that an elderly voter died after being assaulted by central forces in Howrah district during polling for the second phase of West Bengal assembly elections.

In a strongly-worded post on X, Banerjee accused the central forces deployed in the state of acting as the BJP's "private army" and terrorising voters.

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Referring to the incident in Udaynarayanpur, he claimed that the elderly man had gone to cast his vote with his son and collapsed after central forces allegedly pushed and assaulted them while the son was trying to help him enter the booth.

"The old man collapsed, was rushed to Amta Hospital and declared dead on arrival," Banerjee wrote.

The Diamond Harbour MP further alleged that since morning, central forces had been "slapping women, assaulting the elderly, attacking even children", and likened the alleged incidents to the "Sitalkuchi mentality" of 2021.

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Invoking the 2021 Sitalkuchi firing incident, Banerjee claimed the BJP had paid a political price then and would "pay an even heavier price in 2026".

He also warned that those involved in the alleged excesses would be "made to face the full force of the law".

There was no immediate response from the BJP, central forces or the Election Commission on the allegations.