At least three Trinamool Congress workers were injured on Friday in a blast outside a party office in Joypur area of Bankura district, ANI reported. The violence came a day before the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections in which voters from 30 constituencies will choose their representatives.
The TMC blamed the Congress-Left alliance for the blast, according to India Today. The Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, accused the Trinamool Congress, claiming the blast took place inside the party’s office while its workers were “making bombs”.
Clashes also erupted between TMC workers and the Indian Secular Front, which is part of the Congress-Left Front alliance, as both sides accused each other for the blast. Four ISF workers were injured, according to India Today. They were admitted to a hospital in Bishnupur.
A heavy contingent of police force was deployed in the area as the situation remained tense on Friday evening. The police was investigating the matter.
On Saturday, hours ahead of voting, two security officers were injured in a firing incident in Satsatmal area of Bhagwanpur Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district. Bharatiya Janata Party district chief Anup Chakraborty alleged a political conspiracy. “Those associated with TMC trying to terrorise people in Argoal panchayat area,” he told ANI.
Instances of election-fuelled violence were also reported from other parts of the state.
A missing BJP worker was found hanging from a tree in West Midnapore on Friday, The Times of India reported. The body of Lalmohan Soren, 30, was found near his house at Jora Kusmi in Bagmari are.
The Bharatiya Janata Party blamed the Trinamool Congress for Soren’s death. “Trinamool [workers] killed him and hanged his body from the tree to intimidate both voters and BJP workers,” party leader Shamit Das told the newspaper. BJP West Bengal unit President Dilip Ghosh alleged that the Trinamool Congress was “playing a game of hanging people”.
The ruling party denied all allegations. “Trinamool workers were not involved,” TMC Medinipur unit President Biswanath Pandab told The Times of India.
On Thursday, the bodies of two more BJP workers, Pratap Barman and Dipankar Biswas, were found in Santipur, Nadia, according to the newspaper.
Fresh bouts of violence were also reported from the Cooch Behar district on Thursday after the body of a BJP leader, Amit Sarkar, was found in Dinhata. Sarkar’s body was found at a local veterinary hospital, reported The Hindu.
Angry BJP supporters targeted the police and also attacked the local office of the Trinamool Congress, who they blamed for the alleged murder. The police resorted to tear gas to push back the protestors.
Vivek Dube, the special police observer deputed by the Election Commission of India, visited the site of tensions on Friday to review the law and order situation, reported The Telegraph. The police official held a meeting with the district magistrate and other administrative and officers.
Cooch Behar MP and BJP candidate from Dinhata alleged that Sarkar was killed the same way several BJP supporters, including Hemtabad MLA Debendra Nath Roy, died. “Every day, we are losing party supporters. How long will this continue,” Pramanik asked.
Other senior BJP leaders also accused the Trinamool Congress for the alleged attacks on their colleagues. National in-charge of the BJP’s information and technology department Amit Malviya said that “Bengal will respond to TMC’s politics of violence and vote them out for a peaceful progressive” state.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar said he was pained to see the violence and demanded punishment for those found guilty.
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