PURBA MEDINIPUR (West Bengal): Hours before the first phase of polling began in West Bengal Assembly elections, the Purba Medinipur district witnessed violence as bombing and firing took place in the Satsatmal village at the Argoal gram panchayat in Bhagabanpur Assembly constituency, injuring two security personnel.
Patashpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Deepak Kumar Chakraborty and a Central Force soldier were seriously injured in the incident.
Speaking to ANI, Anup Chakraborty, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district president, Purba Medinipur, alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) was spreading terror.
"There is a polling booth at the Argoal area under the Bhagabanpur assembly in Patashpur police station. A terror factory resides in the booth. That booth cannot function without terror and through it, the TMC is damaging the nearby booths by spreading terror," he said.
"We want to make it clear that all those jihadis are running around in all areas and are trying to terrorise the people on behalf of Trinamool. This cannot happen, people have been awakened. The administration went there to control the situation which led to the injury of the OC," he added.
After primary treatment at Egra Super Specialty Hospital, the injured personnel were shifted to Kolkata for further treatment.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate from Paschim Medinipur Samit Das also accused the TMC of creating a disturbance in the rural areas of the district.
"Voting in Midnapore town is going on smoothly. But, at some places in rural areas, TMC workers are trying to create a disturbance," Das told ANI.
In the first phase of West Bengal elections, 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies from the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur, and Paschim Medinipur are going for polls.
The first phase of polling will decide the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women. The polling will conclude at 6:30 pm.