The Election Commission on Sunday directed the West Bengal Police to conduct a special drive to arrest bomb makers ahead of the second phase of the Assembly elections in the state, The Indian Express reported.
Earlier in the day, the police said on social media that it had recovered bombs and explosive material from an abandoned house in Majherhat in the South 24 Parganas district.
“The seizure includes 79 crude bomb-like objects, approximately 3.3 kg of gunpowder, 1.6 kg of sulphur, jute ropes, and 10 packets of roll caps, with the assistance of the Bomb Disposal Squad,” the police stated. “All materials have been seized as per prescribed procedure.”
An investigation was underway, it added.
The seizures were made three days before the second phase of polling is to be held on Wednesday. The first phase was held on April 23. The votes will be counted on May 4.
The police and the administration are reporting to the Election Commission as the Model Code of Conduct is in force in the state.
An unidentified poll panel official told The Indian Express that a special drive had begun to arrest those who are making explosives, adding that all such cases would be investigated by the National Investigation Agency.
The official said that the Kolkata Police commissioner, deputy commissioners of police, superintendents of police and other officers had been told that they would face action if explosives were found in their jurisdiction.
All such materials should be seized in the next 24 hours, the newspaper quoted the official as saying.
Ahead of the elections, the Election Commission had deployed 2.4 lakh Central Armed Police Forces personnel in the state, with about 500 companies or 50,000 personnel expected to remain in place even after polling, according to The Indian Express.
TMC moves HC against police observer
The Trinamool Congress has moved the Calcutta High Court alleging “serious misconduct” by Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, an Indian Police Service officer who has been appointed by the poll panel as a police observer for the elections, ANI reported on Monday.
In a writ petition, the state’s ruling party claimed that Parshottamdas held an “unofficial and undisclosed meeting” with Gour Ghosh, a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from the Magrahat Paschim Assembly seat, Live Law reported.
The seat is part of the observer’s assigned jurisdiction, it added.
The petition said that such conduct by an observer appointed by the poll panel strikes at the heart of the principles of neutrality, transparency and institutional integrity that govern the electoral process, Live Law reported.
It added that the alleged evidence of the meeting had been captured in security camera footage.
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