Bengal Panchayat Polls: Woman candidate accuses TMC 'goons' of physical assault

A Gram Sabha candidate on Thursday (July 20) alleged the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers of physically assaulting and molesting her on July 8, the Panchayat polling day in West Bengal, officials said. The victim of physical assault alleged that the TMC 'goons' stripped her naked, paraded, and molested her on the Panchayat voting day. 

The incident allegedly took place in Dakshin Panchla under the Panchla police station in Howrah district. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed by the victim after the incident at the Panchla police station, offficials said. 

According to the FIR, the TMC candidate of the same Gram Sabha along with other party-supported 'anti-social elements', totalling to nearly 40 to 50, physically assaulted the victim at the polling station. "They hit me on my chest, and head with sticks and pushed me out of the polling booth," read the FIR.

She further alleged that while some of the TMC workers were hitting her, a TMC leader instigater others to tear her dress. "They further assaulted me and forced me to undress and molested me in front of other people," the FIR added.

Mayhem during Panchayat polls

In the month leadding to the Panchayat polls in Bengal, as many as 40 workers of several parties including the TMC, BJP, CPI(M), among others, lost their life in poll-related violence. The BJP charged the ruling TMC of widespread violence during the polls and called it a  'state-sponsored' violence. 

"In West Bengal, elections and violence have become synonymous...Around 45 people have been killed as far as Panchayat polls in West Bengal are concerned. Words like firing, bombing, murder and vote rigging are being used for the Panchayat elections...This is not accidental, this is a state-sponsored murder of democracy," said Sambit Patra earlier this month. 

The Bengal Panchayat polls, despite being held under tight security arrangements, witnessed widespread violence, looting of ballots papers and rigging. There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault of presiding officers from several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia.