No respite from poll violence

KolkataSuri: The embers lit in Birbhum in the second phase of voting seem to have spread across the state. Reports of violence poured in throughout Monday -from Jalpaiguri to Belghoria and Parui to Entally.
Alleged Trinamool goons attacked an election meeting of the Kamduni anti-rape campaigners in Belghoria, and a rally of former IT minister Debesh Das in Entally. In Belghoria's Deshapriya Nagar, Kamduni schoolteacher Pradip Mukherjee, women crusaders Tumpa and Mousumi Koyal and Nanda Dulal Das of Sutia Protibadi Mancha were attacked at a meeting of Aakranto Aamra -a citizens' forum fighting against `Trinamool atrocities'.

Das said some 25 men, led by Trinamool councillor Bimal Saha, ransacked the dais and pelted stones at the gathering, injuring 15 people. Mukherjee was hit on the head with bricks and had to be hospitalized. Tumpa and Mousumi fled for their lives and hid in someone's house until police arrived.

But the Trinamool men surrounded the area and refused to let anyone leave, triggering a tense standoff. Das told TOI: "The attack was carried out under the instructions of the local Trinamool councillor.They threatened to kill us."

Earlier in the day , former CPM minister Debesh Das's campaign rally was attacked."I was on a door-to-door visit around 10.30am when a dozenodd youths rushed at us at the Sil Lane-Pottery Road crossing. They tore our flags and posters. I took photos and sent them to the Election Commission," Das told TOI. He is challenging Trinamool's Swarna Kamal Saha in Entally .

On Sunday night, Tania Mitra, a member of SFI's North 24-Parganas district committee, was hit on the head with a liquor bottle in Belghoria and is now in hospital. An elderly man and three CPM and SFI supporters were also injured when they tried to rescue her from the goons. Some drunken men ente red Belghoria's Sebagram Pally and started tearing off CPM's party flags and festoons.Koyel Chakraborty , a local, said: "On hearing the noise my father rushed out and protested. They beat him up. When I tried to save him, they assaulted me too. That is when our neighbour Tania-di rushed out of her house to rescue us. She immediately came under attack."

One of the goons smashed a liquor bottle on her head. "She fell unconscious. On hearing our screams, more locals rushed to the spot and the attackers fled," Koyel added. Police arrested two youths identified as Rocky Dey and Saheb Das.

District Trinamool Congress secretary Kamal Das denied any link with the attackers, "CPM leaders are weaving stories of attacks to draw sympathy votes," he said.

In trouble-torn Birbhum, fresh clashes broke out before the dust could settle down after the tense battle for the ballot. Clashes broke out between CPM and Trinamool men in Parui, on Sunday night. It got worse on Monday when 20-25 alleged Trinamool men hurled bombs at CPM supporters, injuring six persons. In an unprecedented move, Birbhum SP Sabyasachi Raman Mishra sought the election commission's approval to suspend Parui OC Debabrata Singha. The OC has been removed from active duty .

At Md Bazar in Rampurhat constituency, three Santhal families were allegedly driven homeless for voting in favour of Triamool. Post-poll violence continued in Jalpaiguri as well. A polling official, Gour Roy , was beaten up on Sunday night. He alleged that Trinamool councillor Samir Das led the attack.