Bengal panchayat elections: confrontations in Dinhata result in one death, bringing the total to 11

Kolkata, June 27 (IANS) A person was killed and four others were severely injured following clashes and gun-battle between Trinamool Congress and BJP supporters early on Tuesday in Cooch Behar district over the West Bengal panchayat polls

The violence was reported from Gitaldaha under Dinhata Block-I in Cooch Behar district. 

Babu Haque, having affiliations to the ruling Trinamool Congress, lost his life in the violence. 

Four others, who were critically injured in the gun- battle, are undergoing treatment at a local health centre.

With the fresh casualty, the total number of poll-related deaths has risen to 11 in the last 19 days since the dates for the three-tier panchayat system in the state was announced on June 8.

According to eyewitnesses, sporadic clashes between the ruling and opposition parties started at Gitaldaha early this morning and as time passed, the fights turned serious following exchange of bullets between the two groups. 

Hoque suffered bullet injuries in the gun-battle and was rushed to a local health centre.

Police said that as the place of occurrence is quite remote, and had to be accessed through boat, the cops took some time to reach there and bring the situation under control. 

Tension is still prevailing in the area as a police contingent has been deputed there to keep the situation under control.

Only on Monday afternoon,  Chief Minister had held a rally in Cooch Behar district, where she fired salvos against the Border Security Force (BSF) for intimidating voters in the bordering villages during elections.

With Haque’s death, Dinhata in Cooch Behar has witnessed the second death due to poll- related violence. 

On June 18, the body of Sambhu Das, the brother-in-law of a BJP candidate from the area, was recovered from a jute field there. A day prior to it, the convoy of the BJP Lok Sabha member from Cooch Behar and the Union minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik was attacked at Dinhata only.