KOLKATA:Seventy-two people have been arrested in connection with the violence during the KMC elections in West Bengal on Sunday, police said. The poll day was marred by increasing reports of election malpractices, inter-party clashes, bombing and police inaction.
"Seventy-two people have been arrested so far for disturbing law and order in the city where civic elections are underway. One person has been arrested in connection with the hurling of bombs. Others involved in the incident have been identified and they will be arrested soon," Joint Commissioner of Police (Headquarters), Subhankar Sinha Sarkar said.
The KMC logged 65.41 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm on Sunday, when voting ended.
Two incidents of hurling of crude bombs outside the polling stations were reported in north Kolkata. The first incident took place at Ward Number 36 outside the polling station at Khanna High School in the congested Beliaghata area in north Kolkata a little after 9.30 AM. Though no one was injured in the incident, the event had a cascading effect on the morale of the voters who within minutes left the spot.
Another incident of hurling of bombs took place at around 11.30 AM outside Taki Boys School in North Kolkata's Sealdah area. One voter who was severely injured was rushed to a nearby hospital. Tension mounted in the area and a huge police contingent reached the spot to restore normalcy.
At Baghajatin Crossing in South Kolkata, the CPI(M) activists and leaders resorted to road blockades protesting against alleged rigging and election malpractices by the ruling Trinamool Congress activists. The road blockade continued for an hour resulting in traffic jam in the area. The State government, State Election Commission, ruling party and police personnel together have turned the entire polling process into a total farce," alleged the former CPI(M) Lok Sabha member, Shamik Lahiri.
Read:KMC polls: BJP seems to have conceded defeat, says expert
At Jain High School in Brabourne area in Central Kolkata, the situation really turned violent as Congress and Trinamool Congress workers got engaged in violent clashes inside the polling station. Senior Congress leader Amitava Chakrabarty was severely beaten up in front of the police personnel deployed at the polling station. The police personnel present there were initially inactive but later resorted to action as they saw that the situation was getting out of control there, sources said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed dissatisfaction over the security provided during the civic polls and said that the State Election Commission will be held responsible for "any untoward incidence".
State BJP spokesman Shamik Bhattacharya said that taking advantage of the lackadaisical approach of the State Election Commission and the police forces, Trinamool Congress leaders and activists have resorted to rampant election rigging and booth capturing.
Later in the day, the leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, demanded total repolling in all the 144 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) that went for polls on Sunday. He also referred to the controversial Kim Jong-un regime in North Korea while expressing his observations with the standards of the Trinamool Congress regime in West Bengal.
“The basic right of democracy is missing in West Bengal. It seems that a North Korea- like regime is prevailing in the state. The election process has been a total farce today, “Adhikari said. He also alleged of being physically manhandled by police personnel.
Adhikari met the state governor, Jagdeep Dhankar with the demand of the total repolling in all the 144 wards of KMC. First, he went to the Governor House and then to the office of the state election commission with the demand. At both the venues he launched a scathing attack against the ruling party of the state. “A day will come when Trinamool Congress will be reduced to a zero in West Bengal like Congress and Left Front,” he said.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that she was happy that the people voted peacefully during the KMC Elections. "Voter turnout recorded till now is over 50 per cent. I am happy people voted peacefully. Kolkata Police is carrying out its duties efficiently," Mamata Banerjee told reporters after casting her vote at the Mitra institute in Bhowanipore along with her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
Former Kolkata mayor and State Transport minister Firhad Hakim also refuted all the allegations. “When Trinamool Congress is all set to win by landslide margins as per all opinion polls, then why will we resort to poll violence. It’s the ploy of the opposition parties as their face-saving exercise,” he said.
Rubbishing the allegations, Trinamool Congress’s all-India general secretary and the party Lok Sabha member, Avishek Bandopadhyay said, “The opposition has the liberty to make allegations. If any Trinamool Congress leader is found to be stopping the process of free and fair polls, strict action will be taken within 24 hours. We will also request the state administration to act against the guilty persons irrespective of his or her party affiliation,” he said when he arrived at an election booth in south Kolkata to cast his vote on Sunday afternoon.
Commenting on the protest demonstrations by BJP and CPI(M), he said that these are excuses to hide their frustration for being rejected by people.
