The third day of the rural poll nomination filing process on Wednesday witnessed violence in at least three districts of north Bengal. While at least four reporters and photographers were assaulted by a group of persons allegedly backed by the Trinamul Congress in front of the Cooch Behar Block-I office as nomination papers were being filed, alleged TMC backed men attacked BJP and CPIM candidates at Gangarampur in South Dinajpur, leaving four persons, including a press photographer, injured.

In North Dinajpur, some persons detonated bombs and opened fire as BJP members reached the Raiganj BDO office to collect nomination papers. An unidentified group of persons also opened several rounds of gunfire at Hospital More in Raiganj and damaged the BJP office (SNS photo) there.

In Cooch Behar, three journalists are still undergoing treatment in the Cooch Behar district hospital, while police have arrested one person in connection with the incident.

“A group of photographers rushed to Cooch Behar Block- I on Wednesday after they were informed that Trinamul workers barred opposition party activists from filling nominations. The CPIM and the BJP sought help from the media,” sources said, adding, “As reporters arrived, a group of people started attacking them and assaulted them.”

Trinamul Congress district president Rabindranath Ghosh, who is also the minister for North Bengal Development Department, however, said his party workers were not involved in the incident. Working journalists in Cooch Behar later staged a demonstration in front of the office of superintendent of police.

In South Dinajpur, alleged TMC-backed persons attacked BJP and CPI-M candidates at the Gangarampur block office in the afternoon as they tried to file their nominations. Four persons, including a press photographer of a local TV channel, were injured in the attack.

District TMC leaders, however, denied hand in the incident. CPI-M party sources said three candidates–Jahan Hembram, Ratan Kabiraj and Barner Hembram, and BJP candidate Reba Mandal Gopesh Das, were trying to file their nominations at the Gangarampur BDO office, “when a group of TMC supporters attacked the candidates with lathis and sharp weapons right in front of the police.”

The four persons have been admitted in the Gangarampur hospital, while press photographer Amit Mahanta got three stitches on his forehead. “This is shameful that reporters and photographers are not safe in our district. One of our brothers have been attacked by miscreants. I, on behalf of the District Press Club, have informed the Superintendent of Police and the District Magistrate of the matter and demanded security for media persons,” the secretary of the district press club Sankar Roy said.

“TMC is trying to spread panic among our candidates, and are assembling in front of nomination filing centres from the very first day,” said district secretary of the CPIM, Narayan Biswas. District president of the BJP, Suvendu Sarkar claimed, “Police and TMC goons jointly attacked our candidates. Police were inactive as the TMC goons injured our candidates and snatched away papers.”

District TMC president Biplab Mitra, however, said the entire incident was a “game plan” of the BJP and the CPIM. “This has no connection with the TMC. Our workers were busy with their paper work. I also condemn the attack on the press people there. I will request the administration to ensure security of media personnel,” he said.

In North Dinajpur, some unidentified persons detonated bombs and opened gunfire as BJP members entered the office of the Raiganj BDO to collect nomination papers in the afternoon. At the Hospital More, shops downed shutters and people ran helter-skelter as the group fired guns.

“Many people, including some BJP members, were injured in the melee. However, no major injury was reported,” sources said. BJP leaders claimed that TMC activists opened fire at them at the BDO office. BJP activists then blocked the MG Road in Raiganj from 1.30 PM till late in the evening, demanding security during filing of nomination papers.

“In the rural belt of North Dinajpur, people are favouring the BJP this year. As such, TMC activists are attacking BJP members so that they cannot submit their nominations. This afternoon, TMC activists, in the presence of the police, fired several rounds on our members,” the President of the North Dinajpur BJP Committee, Nirmal Das, said.

President of the North Dinajpur TMC committee, Amal Acharjee, however, said TMC activists were not involved in the incidents in Raignaj today. “It is a game plan of the BJP. Criminals held firearms and they belonged to the BJP. Police should have arrested them,” he said.

The Secretary of the North Dinajpur CPI-M committee, Apurba Paul, said hundreds of criminals backed by the TMC gathered near the BDO office in Raiganj “to threaten members of opponent parties.” Superintendent of Police, North Dinajpur, Shyam Singh was not available to comment on the matter. Meanwhile, the Siliguri Journalists’ Club held a candlelight vigil in protest against the attack on media persons in today’s violence.