Widespread violence in Bengal before April 18 civic elections

KOLKATA: West Bengal witnessed widespread violence since Monday night when Trinamool Congress and CPIM activists engaged in a clash at Belghoria, about 12 kilometers from Kolkata. Its eleven days to go for elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), to be conducted on April 18.

A former CPIM MLA, Manas Mukherjee and North 24-Parganas district Citu leader Subhas Mukherjee were injured when ruling Trinamool Congress activists reportedly beat them up with iron rods and other weapons on Monday night. Both the former MLA and Citu leader were admitted in a nursing home with multiple injuries. The CPIM has called a 10-hour bandh at Kamarhati in North 24-Parganas district on Wednesday in protest against attacks on their leaders by ruling party activists.

North 24-Parganas district police said that they had so far arrested four persons in connection with Monday night's clash at Belghoria. "We have arrested two each from CPIM and Trinamool Congress for last night's violence," said a senior district police official.

The CPIM Liberation, a Naxalite faction, also condemned the attack on the former Marxist MLA and the Citu leader. It's leader, Partha Ghosh said in a statement on Tuesday that "We support the 10-hour bandh called by the CPIM at Kamarhati on Wednesday. Attacks on CPIM leaders are not isolated incidents. Miscreants owing allegiance to ruling trinamool Congress are organising such attacks on the opposition parties in a very planned manner and the state election commission should ensure a free and fair civic elections on April 18 and 25."

In another incident, bombs were hurled at a rally organised by the Congress to campaign for their candidate Mumtaz Ali in Garden Reach area on Tuesday. Ali is contesting the KMC elections which will take place on April 18. Three Congress workers were injured in the incident.

Former West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Pradip Bhattacharjee alleged that miscreants owing allegiance to the ruling Trinamool Congress had hurled bombs at the Congress procession which was organised to campaign for Mumtaz Ali. "Trinamool Congress wants to terrorize the electors and opposition party candidates before April 18 elections. Tuesday's incident at Garden Reach is just a part of Trinamool's deep-rooted conspiracy to intimidate electors before KMC elections," Bhattacharjee said.

Elections to KMC will take place on April 18 and polls in more than 90 municipalities across West Bengal will take place on April 25. All the opposition parties like the BJP, CPIM and Congress have already demanded deployment of Central forces for the civic elections. But the ruling Trinamool Congress is opposed to the idea of deploying para-military jawans for the civic elections as they feel that state police is competent enough to handle law and order during civic polls.

But incident of pre-poll violence in West Bengal is on the rise and the opposition parties have lost faith on the state police and administration.