Two killed on final day of nomination filing for panchayat polls in West Bengal 

There was no respite from violence on the final day of filing of nominations for the West Bengal panchayat elections on June 15, with a supporter of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and activist of Trinamool Congress (TMC) being killed in two separate incidents at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district.

There was no respite from violence on the final day of filing of nominations for the West Bengal panchayat elections on June 15, with a supporter of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and activist of Trinamool Congress (TMC) being killed in two separate incidents at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district.

Later in the day, the Calcutta High Court directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to deploy Central forces for all the 22 districts in the State.

Certain parts of the State have been witnessing violence over the past few days of the filing of nomination papers which began on June 9 and concluded on June 15. Elections to about 63,239 seats at gram panchayat level, 9730 seats at panchayat samities and 928 zilla parishad seats are scheduled on July 8.

Bhangar which was on the boil over the past few days, witnessed large scale violence on June 15 with crude bombs being hurled and several vehicles being set on fire. Bijayganj market, not far from the Block Development Office at Bhangar where nomination papers were filed, saw repeated incidents of crude bombs being thrown. Youths with batons and sticks were seen chasing media persons and hurling crude bombs towards them.

Scores of ISF supporters alleged that they were prevented from filing nominations and the area around the BDO was under the control of hundreds of Trinamool supporters. Later, in the evening after the intervention of Calcutta High Court, the ISF supporters were allowed to file their nominations. Bhangar MLA and ISF leader Naushad Siddique said that one supporter was killed, whereas Trinamool MLA from the adjoining Canning Purba Assembly seat Saukat Mollah said that a Trinamool supporter was killed.  

Violence erupted at Kathalbari in Chopra in Uttar Dinjapur districts when a rally of the Left Front and Congress supporters on the way to file nomination papers was fired upon. Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and Left Front chairperson Biman Bose said that two CPI(M) supporters were killed in the violence. There was no confirmation of the claims of deaths by the State administration till late on June 15 evening. Several persons sustained bullet injuries in the violence and were rushed to nearby State-run hospitals.