Bengal Governor supervises situation in violence-hit Cooch Behar

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited Cooch Behar district which witnessed poll-related violence on Saturday (July 2).

The governor also met family of two BJP workers who were killed in violence that rocked the state ahead of the panchayat polls.

Fresh clashes were reported in the district overnight, prompting the governor’s intervention. Five people were injured in the clashes that took place in Dinhata area on Saturday (July 1) night.

A TMC candidate’s kin was among those injured, police said.

Also Read: WB panchayat polls: Mamata accuses BSF of intimidating voters, force denies charge

Bose monitored the situation throughout the night from Cooch Behar circuit house, where he is staying, and issued instructions to State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha, SP and District Magistrate, officials said.

“The governor on Sunday (July 2) morning visited the hospital where the five injured people are undergoing treatment and may also visit the spot where the clashes took place,” a senior official of the Raj Bhavan told PTI over the phone.

Bose also spoke with the hospital authorities and asked them to ensure best treatment to the injured people.

He dialed the DM and SP of Cooch Behar and asked them to maintain law and order and arrest the culprits.

Also Read: Bengal: Opposition candidates receive ‘threat parcels’; panchayat polls’ future uncertain

Bose, who is on a trip to the northern districts of the state, has visited families of deceased as well as those injured in incidents of violence in Dinhata.

The Raj Bhavan has opened a peace home and a 24×7 phone number to address complaints of violence and intimidation. The matters are instantly taken up with the SEC or the chief secretary.

Around 5.67 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the three-tier panchayat elections in the state on July 8 for nearly 74,000 seats in zilla parishads, panchayat samiti and gram panchayats.

TMC worker shot dead

Meanwhile, in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, a tragic incident unfolded on Saturday (July 1) as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker lost his life to a fatal gunshot. The victim, identified as Ziarul Molla, was discovered with a bullet wound on the side of a road in a village located in Basanti.

Also Read: Calcutta HC to SEC: Deploy over 82,000 Central forces for panchayat polls

Despite immediate medical attention and transportation to a hospital, Molla was pronounced dead by attending doctors.

The family of Ziarul Molla said that he was an active member of the Yuva Trinamool Congress and had been facing death threats. Law enforcement authorities have confirmed that the victim’s family attributes his death to his political involvement.

(With inputs from agencies)