A CISF jawan was injured in firing outside the residence of BJP candidate Pawan Singh at Bhatpara in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, prompting the Election Commission to seek a report, officials said on Monday, PTI reported.
The incident took place late Sunday night, ahead of the second phase of polling scheduled for April 29.
The injured personnel, identified as Yogesh Sharma, was part of the security detail of Singh, son of senior BJP leader Arjun Singh. Sharma sustained a bullet injury in his leg and has been admitted to a hospital, an official said.
The Election Commission has sought a detailed report on the incident. Police said it is yet to be ascertained who fired the shot.
According to police, tension broke out earlier in the Jagaddal area after a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker was allegedly assaulted by a group of men while putting up party flags and banners.
Several TMC leaders later reached the local police station to lodge a complaint. Soon after, supporters of both sides gathered, leading to a heated exchange that escalated into a scuffle, with reports of stone-pelting outside the police station before the situation was brought under control.
Tension escalated again near Singh’s residence, where eyewitnesses claimed crude bombs were hurled and at least one round of firing took place.
A local TMC leader alleged, “Our worker was assaulted. When we went to file a complaint, we were attacked. We believed a police station was the safest place, but that notion has been shattered.”
The BJP denied the allegations, claiming its supporters were targeted and asserting that the CISF jawan was injured in firing by TMC-backed miscreants. The TMC, however, rejected the charge and blamed BJP supporters for the violence.
A large police force has been deployed in the area, and further investigation is underway, officials said.
(With inputs from PTI)