The Election Commission of India (ECI) has sought fresh details from West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay about the alleged attack on chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nandigram on 10 March saying the report the state government had sent was ‘sketchy’.

Soon after the incident, the commission had sought reports from chief secretary and the two special observers. However, the commission is not satisfied with the information that was provided in the report submitted by Mr Bandopadhyay on Friday.

According to an official of the commission, the chief secretary has been asked to give information on how the incident took place and who were behind it. There was no video footage of the alleged attack, he said.

Mr Bandopadhyay had mentioned there was a ‘huge crowd’ surrounding the chief minister’s car in his report. The commission has asked the chief secretary to give elaborate information about the incident, added the official.

The special observers, meanwhile, are said to have termed the incident of alleged attack on Miss Banerjee in Nandigram as an ‘accident’ and not an ‘attack’ in their report to the ECI. The report of the two special observers, namely Vivek Dubey and Ajay Nayak, stated that they had no proof of any attack.

On 11 March, a six-member Trinamul Congress delegation had demanded a highlevel probe into the incident before the ECI in Delhi.

Earlier, the Trinamul Congress had said the commission bore responsibility for the attack on the chief minister since it had taken over the law and order machinery of West Bengal while the commission had refuted it saying, such allegations undermines the foundation and fabric of the Constitution of India.

Meanwhile, the commission is planning to deploy the highest number of Central forces in the upcoming eight-phase elections in West Bengal. The first phase on 27 March for 30 Assembly Constituencies will have 732 companies of Central security forces and the second phase will have 697 companies. The third and fourth phases for 31 and 44 seats respectively will have 694 and 899 companies respectively.

The highest number of 955 companies will be deployed in the fifth phase that will be held on 17 April in 45 constituencies across six districts.

The sixth and seventh phases will be held in 43 and 36 seats respectively with 932 and 760 companies respectively. The last phase of polls for 35 seats will have 715 companies.