BOOTH CAPTURING, ARMED ATTACKS AND RIGGING
MAR FIRST TWO PHASES
Rape of Democracy, alleges Left Front
FREE run of armed ruling party gangs,
large-scale booth capturing, forcible false votes, blockade of villages,
violent attacks on opposition candidates and their polling agents, active
connivance of state police with miscreants. West Bengal panchayat elections,
after first two phases of polling, can easily be summed up as an “unprecedented
plunder of votes”.
In the first phase, voting took place in West
Midnapur, Bankura and Purulia on July 11.
In continuation of the terrorisation, which
was going on before the election, TMC gangs roamed freely in the villages in
these three districts, threatening voters not to come out of their houses,
particularly in Bankura and West Midnapore. In West Midnapore, booth capturing
was rampant in Pingla, Dantan, Gopiballavpur, Shalboni, Nayagram, Chandrakona,
Debra, Ghatal, Keshpur, Garbeta. In many areas, the booth capturing
started after 1 pm. For example, 79 booths were captured in Ghatal
and more than 50 in Debra. In Gopiballavpur, more than 30 booths were captured
out of 98. TMC miscreants chased away CPI(M) polling agents from most of these
booths and the polling officials were forced to keep silence under threat. In
Pingla, CPI(M) leaders were attacked with sharp weapons and many were injured.
In Bankura, there was no semblance of fair
elections in 11 out of 46 seats in Zila Parishad (District Council). Thousands
of people were denied their voting rights in Indas, Taldangra, Bishnupur,
Joypur, Kotulpur, Mejia and Saltora. Booths were captured, particularly after 12
pm. However, in southern parts of the district, mainly tribal areas, people
came out in numbers to vote.
In Purulia, there were sporadic incidents of
violence. In a major attack, CPI(M) activists were injured in Barabazar.
However, people came to vote in this district despite fearful atmosphere.
In the second phase, on July 15, the attacks
were more violent, more unconcealed and more widespread. Voting took place in
Burdwan, East Midnapore and Hooghly districts in that phase. Large numbers of
seats in these three districts were already snatched away by the ruling party
as Left Front candidates were not allowed to file nominations or were forced to
withdraw in the face of brutal terror. In the rest of the seats, TMC gangs
wrecked havoc by widespread booth capturing, never witnessed in the state for
decades.
In Burdwan, TMC brought gangs from outside
the district. They infiltrated in the district in the last two days before
polling from the neighboring districts. TMC started a full-fledged attack on
booths in almost all areas in the district from the morning. In Jamuria, Sheikh
Hasmat, the husband of a CPI(M) candidate, Monowara Bibi, was killed in a bomb
attack at Madhudanga gram panchayat. Enraged villagers chased the miscreants
and one of them, was beaten to death. Even after this incident, numerous booths
around this area were captured by TMC.
In Rayna, widespread attack took place. Many
booths were captured. CPI(M) district council candidate Suprava Karfa was
arrested when she complained about rigging. TMC gangs captured many booths in
Galsi, Aushgram, Kalna, Khandaghosh, Mangalkote, Ketugram. At the end of the
day, 890 booths were fully or partially rigged and captured in Burdwan district
alone.
In another incident, symbolic of what
happened throughout the district, ballot papers were snatched from the hands of
Chayarani Tah, mother of murdered CPI(M) leader and ex-MLA Pradip Tah in a
booth in Burdwan Sadar. A TMC activist snatched the ballot and stamped it
within the booth. This person is an accused in the murder case.
Wherever the villagers tried to resist, the
state police came in support of the miscreants of the ruling party. In many
places, villagers were arrested.
In East Midnapore, elections turned into sham
in many areas. In Nandigram, no other political parties are allowed to function
for the last two years. In some of the seats, ruling party faced challenges
from independent candidates. TMC activists gheraoed booths and obstructed
voters from reaching in many areas. In some areas, the independents, mostly TMC
rebels, suffered the attacks. In Sonachura, in Nandigram, the vote boxes and
tables were brought outside the booth and polling took place in open. This was done
to prevent any voter from casting votes against TMC. CPI(M) and Left
Front agents were chased out of polling booths in Egra, Ramnagar, Patashpur,
Khejuri, Panshkura, Moyna. In Kanthi, home to father-son MP duo of TMC,
villagers were attacked so that they do not go to polling booths. Nearly 450
booths were captured in this district. Central forces were kept idle and TMC
gangs roamed freely. Hundreads of booths witnessed looting of votes, openly.
In Hooghly, already 362 booths saw no voting
at all. TMC ‘won’ in all three tiers there ‘without contest’. In Dhanekhali,
Polba, Tarakeswhar, Arambagh, Haripal, TMC armed gangs created terror with the
help of police. They stormed booths, beat up CPI(M) polling agents, and stamped
ballots in one after another booth. In Arambagh alone, 136 booths were totally
under ruling party control. In Salepur in the same subdivision women came out
of their homes and clashed with miscreants after CPI(M) polling agent was
forcefully kidnapped. CPI(M) candidates were attacked in many areas. In
Uttarpara, CPI(M) candidate in panchayat samiti Shuvra Chatterjee was
attacked and she suffered head injury. Piyush Dhar, another candidate in
Debanandapur was grievously attacked. In Nabagram area, a bike borne gang went
from booth to booth and chased away people.
In the second phase nearly 1500 booths were
captured in the three districts.
The state administration virtually kept aside
the central para military forces. They were not deployed in booths. Most of the
central security forces were stationed in the block office. Some of them went
to main roads but not in the villages. The state government was opposing the
deployment of central forces from the very beginning. Central forces were sent
to the state under the direction of the Supreme Court. However, they were
forced to remain inactive. In the second phase central forces were not deployed
in 88 per cent of booths.
Biman Basu, Left Front chairman, expressed
anguish in the manner voting right of the people was snatched. He told presspersons,
“Our worst apprehensions came true. The chief minister herself continually
threatened election commission and the opposition. Ministers openly threatened
that the opposition parties would not be allowed to operate freely. Those
terror tactics were implemented in the first phase. It accentuated in the
second phase. Thousands of people were not allowed to vote. Booths were
captured. Security forces were forced to remain idle. This is a rape of
democracy.”
