Bengal continued to burn and bleed under the impact of panchayat elections with six more deaths reported from Murshidabad, Malda and Birbhum that went to polls on Monday.
The Tuesday’s deaths take the toll to more than 40 since the rural elections were declared last month police said.
About 35 people were injured on Tuesday and six killed even as sporadic tripartite clashes broke out involving the Congress, Trinamool Congress and CPI (M) in the three districts.
This, even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for peace in an election rally in North Bengal blaming the Opposition for the ongoing violence. In a dichotomous note however her party colleagues and senior Ministers continued to chant provocative speeches.
While two Congress men were killed reportedly in clashes with the CPI (M) at Ranitala and laxminarayanpur one Trinamool worker was bombed to death at Shaktipur. A CPI (M) member was killed in Farakka and while another Trinamool man was bumped off at Rezinagar following clashes with the Congress. In neighbouring Birbhum one rebel Trinamool worker was shot dead at Parui allegedly by his former party men.
With the Tuesday’s killings a total of 19 people have been killed in the past 36 hours in three districts. While Murshidabad witnessed nine deaths, Malda saw seven. One person died in Birbhum while two perished in Nadia. The fifth and final phase of elections will be held in four North Bengal districts of two Dinajpurs, Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar on Thursday.
The violence continued amid fears expressed by the State Election Commission that earlier wrote to the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary for retaining the Central forces. “As soon as the forces left Murshidabad violence started afresh and we do not have the infrastructure to control them without the help of Central forces,” said a senior officer requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday blamed the Opposition Congress and the left for the ongoing violence saying “those fighting with bombs and guns would not be spared and bad times await them.” The Congress and the CPI (M) were in nexus she maintained adding if the polls were held in one or two days then there would be less violence.
Curiously Banerjee’s statements came almost in tandem with another senior State Minister Madan Mitra following in the footsteps of his party colleagues asking the workers to take on the rivals physically.
He appealed his party men to reply a bullet by a bullet, stick by a stick and bomb by a bomb. His speech came days after TMC MlA Manirul Islam threatened a Congress leader of beheading him, party MP Tapas Paul told followers to “shoe up the Marxists” and Birbhum district president inciting followers in a rally to bomb the police and burn the houses of opponents.