MHA finds West Bengal report on poll violence 'sketchy', tells them to resend it

NEW DELHI: Not satisfied with the state’s reply, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs Wednesday asked West Bengal government to send a revised report with complete details sought by them on the large scale violence during the panchayat elections.

The MHA received a "sketchy report" from the Mamata Banerjee government on the poll violence. Since the details did not account for what was asked, the MHA told the state chief secretary on Wednesday to resend it, a senior ministry officer told ET on conditions of anonymity.

On May 14, the MHA wrote to West Bengal chief secretary seeking exhaustive report on spate of incidents of violence and steps taken to avoid further clashes. MHA officials, said sources, the TMC regime unfortunately is not very communicative on centre-state issues. The ministry had offered central armed police force assistance fearing political clashes at the time of panchayat elections as it has not been peaceful in the past but the state did not agree to any help, said government sources.


After the West Bengal election commission received reports of violence, re-polling took place on Wednesday at more than 550 booths across the state where ballot papers were snatched or dumped, including in Hooghly, West Midnapore, Coochbehar, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur and South 24 Parganas.

The opposition has accused the TMC of "unleashing terror" and "destroying democracy" during the Monday’s polls that saw about two dozen killed and several others injured. The ruling party, however, termed the charges as baseless. The panchayat polls have a history of blood bath. In the last 2013 elections, 21 people were reported to have died. The 2008 elections saw 14 persons killed while at least 61 were left dead in 2003.

Earlier during Ram Navami procession violence too, the MHA had requested the state to submit a report on incidents of killing and arson in the state.