Massive violence in Bengal on first day of nomination for Panchayat election, one dead

KOLKATA: A death of a 26 year old youth has been reported from Malda on the first day of nominations for Panchayat election in West Bengal. According to sources in police, the victim, Rizwanur Rahman had no connection with any political party, but he was caught in crossfire between two factions of ruling Trinamool Congress at Bamangram panchayat in Kaliachak area in Malda.

Late in the evening yesterday, a violent clash broke out between two factions of TMC over the nomination for the upcoming Panchayat elections. There had been few rounds of firing from both sides. Rizwanur, a labour was returning from his work and he was caught between the two factions. He sustained bullet injury on his head and rushed to the local hospital. On Tuesday, he was referred to a hospital in Kolkata. Rizwanur succumbed to his injuries on the way.

Apart from the incident in Malda, clashes were also reported from Birbhum district where a senior leader of BJP’s district unit sustained stab injuries in front of the district police head quarter.


Citing these two incidents of violence on the first day of nominations, BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh has demanded central force for the election. Panchayat polls will be organised in three phases in West Bengal and there will be 58,467 polling stations across the state.