Massive Protests Throughout Bengal Today
The West Bengal Left Front has called for massive protests against the vandalism indulged in by the ruling Trinamool Congress during the elections in the state. These protests will take place throughout the state on 13th May, 2014, from 11.00 to 12.00 Noon and 4.00 to 5.00 p.m. The programme is to be held under the auspices of the District Left Front Committees.
The last phase of elections for 17 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal witnessed widespread violence, capture of more than a thousand polling booths, polling agents of opposition parties being driven out and physical attacks on people going to vote in various places.
Some of the worst affected seats are Kolkata North, Barrackpur, Ghatal, Dumdum, Basirhat, Bongaon and Diamond Harbour , Ranaghat and Jadavpur.
In many constituencies the attack started from the morning itself. In North Kolkata, people in many areas like Beleghata and Kashipur were terrorized on the night of May 11th itself. Left polling agents were not allowed to enter or chased away in these areas.
In Barrackpore and DumDum, TMC goons started storming booths on a massive scale after 12.00 noon. In five assembly constituency in Barrackpore large number of booths were captured and armed gangs began to attack Left supporters. Nearly a hundred Left supporters were injured.
In Jadavpur, polling booths in the entire Bhangar assembly segment were rigged. Despite CPI(M) candidate Sujan Chakraborty himself rushing there no official help came.
The worst incident took place in Haroa block in the Basirhat parliamentary constituency where voters going to the polling booth were fired upon. Four persons suffered bullet injuries and 17 others were injured by sharp weapons.
The Trinamool Congress had launched this campaign of terror and intimidation on the eve of the polling. The entire State machinery and the police have connived in this effort to manipulate the elections.
Left Front Chairman Biman Basu has appealed to Left Front workers to participate in large numbers to protest this widespread violence and attack on democracy. Addressing the press at Kolkata on May 12 Biman Basu said that in the last phase of election for 17 seats, TMC terror throttled democracy and the people’s right to exercise their opinion.
Basu said that more than 150 letters have so far been written to the Election Commission detailing TMC vandalism indulged in during the election process in the state. The LF has demanded repoll in a large number of booths.
It is for the first time that such a large number of complaints have been made to the Election Commission from West Bengal, which Basu said is an indication of the vitiation of the polling process on account of the reign of terror unleashed by the the ruling party. “We have always been trying to keep the Election Commission well aware of the TMC atrocities across the State. The TMC has partly succeeded in vandalizing the election. Not only false voting, this phase of election has also witnessed bloodshed, firing and indiscriminate use of weapons,” Biman Basu said.
May 13, 2014