M A I N   N E W S

Bengal Panchayat Polls
50 pc turnout in first phase
Molestation charge against CRPF DIG
Subhrangshu Gupta
Tribune News Service

Kolkata, May 11
The first phase of panchayat elections held today in five south Bengal districts. Barring some incidents, the polls were by and large peaceful.

A top CRPF officer faced charges of molestation in Nandigram and was locked in an unusual confrontation with a CPM MP while Maoists detonated a landmine in Purulia during the polls.

However, there was poor turnout of voters at several places, including Nandigram, Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore. State election commissioner A. Gupta said the average turnout of voters in all districts was about 50 per cent, but at some places it was poor.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee claimed the elections were peaceful and free and fair everywhere, including Nandigram.

But Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharyya alleged that the elections at many places had been virtually a farce. Mamata alleged that in most of the places, only the CPM supporters were allowed to caste their votes. The front party leaders like Ashok Ghose (FB), Kshiti Goswami (RSP) and Monju Mujamdar (CPl), too, alleged that the elections were far from free and fair.

At Purulia’s Bandoan, a police jeep in which five policemen and a sub-inspector were travelling was blown up following the blasting of landmines. All injured were admitted to Purulia Sadar hospital and the condition of three of them was stated to be critical.

There was an incident of CRPF and police personnel clashing while CPM cadres allegedly blocked supporters of opposition Trinamool Congress from casting votes at three villages of trouble-torn Nandigram.

CRPF DIG Alok Raj, against whom an FIR was filed by two women for allegedly molesting and beating them, and CPM MP Lakshman Seth had heated telephonic arguments after the MP alleged that the officer was moving about during the panchayat polling in the Nandigram area without a magistrate, violating a directive by the state home department.

Officer-in-charge of Nandigram police station Debashis Chakraborty said two women from Sonachura in Nandigram block had lodged an FIR last night against Raj.

The DIG, however, denied the charge, claiming the FIR was false. During the telephonic conversation, Raj was heard telling the MP that he was only doing patrolling duties and he does not have to act under the district administration.