The Mamata Banerjee regime has been accused of failing miserably in containing bloodbath that escalated on Friday during filing of nominations for ruralelections leaving leaders as senior as former CPI(M) MP Basudeb Acharya and BJP State secretary Raju Banerjee and numerous othersbadly battered by armed Trinamool Congress cadres who lobbed bombs, fired gunshots and pelted brickbats at will even as athoroughly demoralised police force looked the other way in absence of”orders” from above.
In the midst of the mayhem came a gush of judicial relief with Calcutta High Court —responding to a petition from Pradesh Congress—directing the State Election Commission and Superintendants of Police to ensure smooth filing of nomination papers and the Supreme Court hearing a petition from the BJP for Central forces reserving its order for Monday.
At Bankura SDO office State BJP secretary Raju Banerjee was dragged out of his SUV by a dozen Trinamool cadres who threw him on theground, kicked him and rained punches on him leaving the youth leader seriously injured. Bankura district BJP president Shyamapada Mondal was also given the same treatment. Their fault: they had gone to lodge complaint against the Trinamool men who had blockaded most BDO offices stopping the opposition candidates from filing nomination.
At Kashipur in Purulia veteran Parliamentarian Basudeb Acharya was badly beaten up along several other senior party men who received headinjuries and were rushed to the hospital. They were leading a protest march against Trinamool attacks. “This is worse than what SS Ray had perpetuated during Emergency,” an injured former MP said before being taken away to safety.
Clashes took place at Raghunathganj in Murshidabad where the Trinamool and BJP cadres confronted each other leading the police to fire teargas shells. At Nabagram a combined force of the left and the Congress confronted the Trinamool goons as both sides fought with bombs and brickbats.
At Nalhati in neighbouring Birbhum violence continued for the second day on Friday with Trinamool workers attacking the BJP and left men with bombs, bows and arrow. At Utsi in South 24 Parganas a BJP candidate was shot at and had to be hospitalized with serious injuries whereas at Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas mother of a prospective BJP candidate was shot at on Thursday night in an apparent bid to stop him from filing nomination, sources said.
Cut to Kolkata, a team of senior BJP leaders including Mukul Roy, Rahul Sinha staged a sit-in near the Mahatma Gandhi statue protesting ongoing violence. “This is a time for the entire opposition to drop their flags and come together to fight this enemy of mankind out,” said Roy. A mile away at the SEC office a team of CPI(M) leaders including Biman Bose, State party secretary Suryakanto Mishra and Sujan Chakrabarty staged a gherao to “draw the attention of the Commission so that democracy can be restored in the State.” The TMC had virtually murdered democracy in Bengal, the ledft said demanding the extension of timing for filing of nominations.
State Minister Partho Chatterjee however rejected the allegations saying “if the opposition is being stopped then how could they file nominations in more than 50 percent seats.”