Restrict Bengal Minister's movements on polling day: Nisith Pramanik urges EC

Kolkata, April 17 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP’s sitting MP from Cooch Behar, Nisith Pramanik, on Wednesday, appealed to the Election Commission (EC) to restrict the movement of West Bengal Minister in charge of North Bengal Development Udayan Guha on Friday when the constituency goes to polls in the first phase.

Besides being the state minister, Guha is also a heavyweight party legislator from the Dinhata Assembly constituency, one of the seven under Cooch Behar Lok Sabha.

Sources in the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that in his application to the Commission, Pramanik has claimed that Guha had been instrumental in orchestrating an attack on him twice even after the model code of conduct came into force.

In his application, Pramanik has also claimed that Guha’s name featured in the report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the post-poll violence in West Bengal after the 2021 Assembly elections.

Claiming that Guha had been ill-famous for spreading hate messages, Parmanik has requested the commission to ensure that Guha is unable to step out of his locality on polling day.

Last month, a video went viral where both Guha and Pramanik were seen dashing against each other during a scuffle between the BJP and Trinamool Congress supporters.

The incident took place when Pramanik’s convoy was passing through an area, where Trinamool Congress supporters had assembled to celebrate Guha’s birthday. A scuffle broke out between the two groups and in an attempt to disperse the angry supporters of both sides, Dhiman Mitra, the local sub-divisional police officer also sustained injuries