KOLKATA: As the state heads towards the panchayat elections, Opposition parties in West Bengal are fearing a re-run of the violence that erupted during the polls in 2018. The apprehensions have been triggered by a series of recent incidents, including recovery of crude bombs at various places and deaths of two persons, including a child, in the last 10 days.
On Thursday evening, the husband of a panchayat pradhan in Nadia district was gunned down in adjoining Murshidabad. Motirul Sheikh (49) was first shot and then stabbed at Naoda when he was returning home with his minor son riding pillion. Motirul’s wife Meera said he died because of politics, and initially demanded CBI investigation into the incident. But later she requested for a probe by the state’s Criminal Investigation Department.
A police complaint has been lodged against nine Trinamool Congress supporters. Sheikh’s murder follows the death of a nine-year-old who lost her life last week when she picked up a crude bomb out of curiosity at the home of her maternal uncle, who is a TMC supporter, in North 24 Parganas district. Police arrested Abu Hussain Gayen for storing bombs in his house.
In another incident, a crude bomb exploded at the under-construction house of a TMC leader in North 24 Parganas. Bombs were also recovered from near a primary school in South 24 Parganas’ Falta on Monday, which police suspect were stored for the purpose of using ahead or during the panchayat polls.
“The stockpiling of crude bombs is part of preparations for violence before the elections. This year, the ruling party will witness unprecedented intra-party feud over the issue of ticket distribution,” state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said. “Politics has become a medium of making money for them. In the previous rural polls, the ruling TMC cadres did not allow us to field candidates on thousands of seats. This time, too, they will exercise the same force, and we are ready to deal with it,” he added.
CPM’s central committee member Sujan Chakrabarty said Motirul’s murder showed the internal rivalry in the ruling party. “More such incidents will take place before the panchayat polls. For the TMC, making money is the only target for getting elected,” he said.
While holding a series of meetings with district leaders recently, TMC’s second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee, asked the cadre to refrain from using force. “The party will not tolerate any strongarm tactics and use of violence to win the rural polls. If anyone violates the party’s diktat, stern action will be taken,” he said, asking the leaders to work as a team. In 2018, the TMC won over 20,000 seats in the three-tier polls uncontested. The Supreme Court had then called the uncontested win in 30% seats “shocking”.
