Mamta Banerjee who promised change in a state that was gone to the dogs, kept her promise as she changed her party to outsmart the Marxists when it comes to violence. Six persons, including a woman, were killed and dozens were injured, many of them little children, in the widespread violence that lead to firing by the CRPF in the fourth phase of panchayat polls in Bengal Monday. The state election commission said that 75 percent average polling was recorded till five pm in the four districts of Murshidabad, Birbhum, Malda and Nadia that went to the booths.
In the most violent phase of the rural poll so far, two persons were killed and their hands blown off while making bombs in a paddy field at Satpalsa village before polling began in Birbhum district, Rampurhat sub-divisional police said. "Prima facie, the two were making bombs which went off. Their hands were also blown off," the police said. Another two persons were killed similarly while making bombs at Raninagar village in the same district early morning, police said. A woman voter was killed when bombs were hurled by miscreants as she was leaving a booth at Kajisha village in the Beldanga area in Murshidabad district after casting her vote, police said.
In Malda district, a 55-year-old voter was shot dead allegedly by the CRPF after voters, angry at the queue moving slowly, threw stones at a polling booth in Ratua, it said. Four CRPF jawans were injured in the incident. Reports of violence were the highest in Murshidabad district. A CPM candidate's husband was shot at in Faridpur gram panchayat area of Jalangi in the district. He was admitted to Murshidabad Medical College Hospital at Berhampore in a serious condition, police said, adding a Trinamool Congress supporter received bullet injuries at Islampur in the same district. Four persons were injured when bombs were hurled during a CPM-Congress clash at Juginda area of the district. A youth was injured at Ichakali in Jangipur area of the district, police said. Three Trinamool Congress supporters were injured in a clash with the Congress workers at Swaruppur village in the district, it said.
State Congress President Pradip Bhattacharjee accused the government of trying to destroy democratic values and snatch away the constitutional rights of the people of the state. The CPM leadership accused the government of letting loose a reign of terror, saying it was hell bent on destroying democracy in the state. "Today's violence was state-sponsored terrorism. They want to destroy the democracy of the state," CPM central committee member Mohammed Salim said.
