In the wake of a toddler and her family being beaten up during an alleged political violence in West Bengal, a section of civil society members on Tuesday approached the Election Commission seeking protection for the family.
A delegation led by West Bengal Women Commission's former member Bharati Mutsuddi, met chief electoral officer Sunil Kumar Gupta seeking protection for the family and arrests of the perpetrators.
"When the child was saying how she was beaten up, I don't think there was a single person in Bengal who could hold back their tears.
"We have come to the EC seeking security for this family and also the arrest of all the perpetrators," said Mutsuddi adding Gupta has assured them of necessary steps.
The civil society members also will be visiting the family on Thursday.
The incident took place on Sunday night in North 24 Parganas' Halisahar, when several masked men allegedly barged into the house of a family of Marxist supporters and beat up the entire family including three-and-half-year-old girl-- Sayantika-- to deter them from voting.
"I was hit here," the toddler had said on Monday pointing to her hand and feet where she was beaten with sticks.
The opposition Communist party of India-Marxist alleged the involvement of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the incident for which police have arrested two people.
Unfazed by the attack, the mother of the toddler Debashree Ghosh on Monday cast her vote when polling for 49 constituencies including Bijpur - under which the incident happened - was held for the fourth phase of the assembly election.
--IANS
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