Alleged ‘green terror’ continued to rock Bengal even as armed Trinamool Congress gangsters attacked Opposition outfits in Purulia, Kolkata, Jangipur, Malda, Raiganj, Coochnehar and other places ahead of the second phase of the ongoing municipal elections. Meanwhile, in what looked like an unashamed submission before a party in power, State Election Commissioner SR Upadhyay on Sunday somersaulted from his earlier stance saying the Saturday’s KMC elections were “absolutely peaceful and fair.”
His statement came a day after he said that the polls had not taken place in an “ideal atmosphere” and that he had received a number of complaints of booth-capturing throughout the city. A day after overrunning the City of Joy rendering the Saturday’s Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections into a farce, Mamata Banerjee’s followers continued to attack the BJP and the left supporters in Purulia, Jangipur, the State capital and other places.
In continuing post-poll violence in Kolkata, the house of a BJP supporter in the northern part of the city was ransacked by alleged Trinamool Congress goons. A nearby club was also vandalised, the BJP sources said. A BJP camp office was vandalised and set on fire in Purulia triggering a road blockade by the saffron men. National Highway 32 was blocked for hours by the angry BJP supporters who also demonstrated at the local police station. At Jangipur in Murshidabad district, Trinamool men fought pitched battle with CPI(M) supporters causing grievous injuries to two persons from the either side. Trinamool men attacked left supporters and occupied their party offices in Coochbehar, Malda and Raiganj sources complained.
Back in Kolkata, the doctors on Sunday operated upon the injured sub-inspector of police. He was still stated to be in a critical condition. The injured officer Jagannath Mandal was fired at on Saturday by TMC goons when he tried to prevent them from attacking a Congress leader’s house. He had even expressed his willingness to order re-polling in about 60-70 booths. However his stance changed within hours of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee telling the media that she had never seen a more peaceful election like the one that took place on Saturday.