BJP petitions WB governor on violence in panchayat polls

Alleging that the ongoing panchayat elections in West Bengal have become a "farce", BJP today alleged that rural voters were denied democratic rights and accused the Trinamool Congress government of unleashing "state sponsored violence".
In a memorandum to Governor M K Narayanan, state BJP said that during the campaign a party panchayat samiti candidate was shot dead at Habibpur in Malda district and a gram panchayat candidate was murdered at Balagarh in Hooghly district.
In both the cases, eye-witnesses provided the names of the killers in FIR, but they were yet to be arrested, the party said.
It said over 200 BJP supporters were injured, while 157 houses were looted, damaged or set on fire.

Stating that many TMC leaders were making provocative speeches, it said the State Election Commission, barring a single case, preferred to remain silent.
"And, in that single case too, the district police disobeyed the SEC following which terror became rampant," the party said.

"As the constitutional head of the state, we request you to ask both the state government and the SEC why security could not be provided to candidates and voters," it said.
The party demanded that both the chief and home secretaries and the superintendents of police of Birbhum, Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas should be removed "for not conducting their duties properly."

It also demanded that at least 5,000 people who left their homes fearing threats to their lives in the districts should be allowed to return immediately.