TMC leader held over alleged assault on EC officials in Durgapur

A booth committee leader and a supporter of the Trinamul Congress were detained in Durgapur town by the police following a complaint of assault by Election Commission officials today.

The ECI officials, Bittu Gupta and Suryakanta Pal, went to inquire into the charges of poll walling on the concrete fencing of a sub-post office on the outskirts of Karangapara village near the railway station.

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The BJP had initially painted a lotus on the wall, which allegedly was wiped out by the TMC. After the BJP lodged a complaint with the ECI, Gupta and Pal, the two officials, went to the spot.

Both were allegedly dragged out of their vehicle and thrashed by a local TMC leader, Somnath Das. BJP’s Bardhaman-Durgapur organizing district secretary Abhijit Dutta alleged: “The moment the officials arrived, the arrogant TMC leader and his aides thrashed them.” Two BJP cadres were also allegedly roughed up. Das, the accused TMC leader, said: “The ECI officials were acting under the dictat of BJP, which we were protesting. I didn’t assault anyone there.”

The police detained Das and one of his aides after the ECI officials lodged a complaint. In Mankar in the Budbud PS area, the BJP lodged a complaint against the TMC for allegedly disfiguring a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The poster was stuck on a private wall where the TMC further painted poll walling.