 "LS polls: Pre-poll violence in Bengal's Nandigram after BJP worker's murder")
West Bengal’s Nandigram town, where elections will be held on Saturday, is tense after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that one of its women workers was killed in an attack on homes last night.
Shops were torched by a mob in the town after the BJP worker’s death. Videos showed smoke billowing from torched shops.
“…BJP workers were guarding the booth in the Mansabazar area of Sonachura in Nandigram last night. At that time, the grassroots miscreants jumped on them with sharp weapons. Seven people were seriously injured by sharp weapons,” said Nandigram MLA and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on X (formerly Twitter).
“The Trinamool (Congress) committed this barbaric murder,” Adhirkari claimed.
The Trinamool has denied the allegation, saying the death was the result of personal rivalry. “There were some family disputes and the killing could be the consequence of that,” Nandigram TMC leader Swadesh Das told PTI.
BJP workers staged protests and blocked roads in Nandigram. In the aftermath, security personnel have been deployed in Nandigram, which comes under Purba Medinipur, one of the Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal which is scheduled to go to polls on May 25.
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Videos showed heavy police deployment in the area in a bid to control the situation. The security personnel were also seen using baton force to disperse people.
Notably, scattered incidents of violence also took place during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal as TMC and BJP workers clashed in parts of Barrackpore, Bongaon, and Arambagh constituencies. Two live crude bombs were also recovered from the Arambagh area by security personnel.