2 killed in violence over nomination filing

Kolkata: Violent clashes between the ruling and Opposition parties claimed two lives and left several others injured in two districts on the extended day for the filing of nominations by the candidates for the panchayat elections.

Accusing the police of remaining mute spectators during the clashes, the Opposition parties have moved the Calcutta high court complaining that the single bench”s order to the West Bengal state election commission to ensure safety to the candidates during filing of their nominations were violated.

Their plea is expected to come up for hearing before Justice Subrata Talukdar on Tuesday. At Suri in Birbhum a BJP worker: Dildar Khan was in a group of party workers including his feamily member Mariam Bibi going to file nominations.

A group of armed Trinamul Congress workers allegedly attacked them at Kuridhya village in block no 1. A clash broke out soon. Bombs and bullets flew at random. Many houses were torched. Later, Dildar was found lying shot dead.

Two more BJP workers including one Shyamsundar Gorai suffered bullet injuries.

Dildar”s father Touhid Khan alleged, “My son was a BJP worker. Local Trinamul leader Prabir Dhar ordered the firing on my son.”

Echoing him state BJP-president Dilip Ghosh and BJP leader Mukul Roy said that Dilhar belonged to their party.

Later, Touhid however took an U-turn as Trinamul district president of Birbhum Anubrata Mondal declared Dildar was a Trinamul worker.

Touhid claimed, “Our family has been with the Trinamul always. A BJP leader met me and asked me to say my son was with their party. The BJP brought people from Jharkhand to kill my son.”

Describing Dildar as a Trinamul worker urban development minister Firhad Hakim alleged that the BJP hired contract killers from the neighbouring state to unleash bloodbath.

At Swarup Nagar in North 24 Parganas, a booth-level Trinamul Congress worker Amirul Mallick (27) was hacked to death. He was a resident of Nityanandakuthi village in Balti gram panchayat. The body was found near his home in the morning. Amirul left home on Sunday night for party-related works. He, however, did not return home.

Trinamul district president of North 24 Parganas and food supplies minister Jyotipriyo Mullick claimed, “Inspired by the BJP the CPI(M)-backed goons killed Amirul by slitting his throat and stabbing him.”

Rejecting his claims, district CPI(M) leader Mrinal Chakraborty alleged, “Amirul fell victim to internal feud of the Trinamuul.”

In Kolkata, two journalists—- Prajna Saha and Aryabhatta Khan—- were forcibly taken away from in front of the district magistrate”s office in Alipore where they had gone to cover the filing of nominations. They were physically and verbally abused by their abductors before their release.