The alleged heckling of the BDO of Habra-II block in North 24-Parganas district by Trinamool Congress activists has drawn attention of the Election Commission, which has directed the district administration to conduct an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team consisting of the Additional SP and SDPO.
"We have already received a preliminary report from the district magistrate and are now scrutinising it. Simultaneously a special investigation team has been set up comprising the Additional SP and local SDPO," Joint CEO Jaydip Mukherjee said here today.
Five more persons were arrested today in connection with the incident taking the total number of arrests to 15, all of whom were released on interim bail, Mukherjee said.
Habra-II BDO Dinobandhu Gayen lodged a complaint against 25 TMC workers for abusing, threatening and assaulting him on March 25.
In his FIR at Asoknagar police station the next day, Gayen said the TMC workers heckled him for ordering removal of party flags and posters acting on the EC's directive and also threatened him with dire consequences.
Trinamool Congress' all India general secretary Mukul Roy today met the state's Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta to deny that his partymen were involved in the incident and termed the allegations as false and fabricated and aimed at maligning the party's image before the election.
"I came to clarify some points on several directives of the Election Commission," Roy said adding that his party was considering a legal move on the issue.
"Nobody has any right to malign our party's image," Roy said.
Earlier, senior party leader and state's Food Minister Jyotipriyo Mallick demanded a high-level inquiry into the case.
