Kolkata, April 26: The Election Commission on Sunday ordered a probe after a video purportedly showing bike-borne men intimidating locals in the Diamond Harbour Assembly constituency ahead of the second phase of polls in West Bengal surfaced on social media, a senior official said.
Soon after the matter came to light, the poll panel lodged a formal complaint at the Diamond Harbour police station. Officials said a case has been registered and an investigation has been initiated.
“The Election Commission is addressing the matter so that these threats get curbed by today,” the official said.
Campaigning for the second phase of the Assembly polls on April 29 will end on Monday evening.
Police said the case was registered at the Diamond Harbour police station on Sunday under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with criminal intimidation and unlawful acts.
This came days after the state government, acting on a directive from the poll panel, suspended five officers posted in the Diamond Harbour police district and initiated disciplinary proceedings against them for alleged “serious misconduct” and failure to maintain neutrality.
Supporters clash
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in Howrah and Haroa areas of West Bengal in the run-up to the second phase of polling on April 29, a senior police official said on Sunday.
In Howrah town, clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress and BJP supporters over the chanting of slogans during a roadshow of the saffron party’s Uttar Howrah candidate Umesh Rai.
As the roadshow passed by a TMC election office in the area on G T Road, TMC supporters chanted its poll slogan ‘Joy Bangla’ that was countered by BJP supporters with the “Jai Shri Ram” chant, This led to an altercation between two groups, leading to a scuffle that prompted central forces to baton-charge both BJP and TMC supporters, a police official said.
BJP MP and actor Ravi Kishan was heading the roadshow. However, by the time the scuffle took place, his vehicle had already crossed the spot.
On Saturday night, a police sub-inspector was injured while trying to pacify TMC and Indian Secular Front (ISF) supporters at Haroa in North 24 Parganas district during a roadshow of ISF, the official said.
As ISF supporters were returning from a roadshow of party leader Naushad Siddique, they were allegedly taunted by some TMC supporters at a street corner meeting, leading to a clash.
Both ISF and TMC alleged that a number of their supporters were injured in the clash. (PTI)
