Polling in Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman districts on 30 April was marred by widespread booth capturing and violence by Trinamool goons. In many villages, people protested and fought against their attacks and cast their votes in favour of Left Front candidates. They had to face reprisals the next day, with families targeted for attack and their houses ransacked.
In Kalra, Dhulagari and Dasnagar areas of Howrah district, Trinamool goons attacked the homes of CPI(M) supporters. Left Front candidate from Howrah Com. Sreedip Bhattacharya met some of these families who were attacked in the Bharat Mata colony of Howrah. People from Dakshin Kalra village of Howrah immediately organized a protest demonstration against Trinamool attacks. In Dhaniakhali village of Hoogly district, Trinamool looted houses of CPI(M) Zonal Committee members. Four people were wounded when a bomb stored at the house of Trinamool worker Kamu Sheikh exploded in Mangolpur area of Bardhaman.
Trinamool goons entered Dakshin Kalra village at around 9.30 am. For one and a half hours, they targeted almost all the houses with explosives and ransacked them. Most of the villagers are craftsmen who make zari borders. The goons burnt down their equipment, implements and raw material. They tried to stop the villagers from casting their votes, even making barricades to block them. But the villagers ignored them and went to cast their votes.
A similar incident happened in Dhulagari also. Trinamool miscreants also attacked some areas which were under Howrah municipality such as Colony No. 3 of Ward No. 50 where they ransacked 30 houses. Reassuring the residents, Com.Sreedip Bhattacharya said, “We are always with you and we have to stay united against their attacks.”
Similar incidents took place in Baghnan area. Trinamool goons (who were not local residents) tried to capture polling booths but local people resisted and did not allow them to go ahead with their plan. They stopped two voters from casting their votes. When they protested, they were badly beaten up by the TMC goons. One of our Party workers, Tapan Hazra, got injured in this attack. After that, women of the village came out of their houses and drove out all the goons from the village. The police rescued the attackers, protecting them from the angry villagers.
CPI(M) supporter, Bhola Bera, from Jaipur was targeted by TMC hoodlums who threw bombs at his cycle. He is currently admitted in a hospital. TMC miscreants indulged in indiscriminate violence to create terror among the people of Harali Piyara Para village of Udaynarayanpur; Jangalpara village of Kurchi Shivpur; Senpur, Akana, Charakghara, Joka villages of Singti Gram Panchayat; six villages of Khila Gram Panchayat and a few villages of Bidhichandrapur.
Howrah District Secretary of CPI (M), Biplab Mazumdar, wrote to the Superintendent of Police, Howrah saying that “after 30th April’s elections, our party workers, supporters and voters are continuously being attacked by TMC. The number of attacks on them is increasing by the hour.”
In Hooghly, the TMC goons attacked the home of Com. Arun Chatterjee who is the Local Committee Secretary of Bhastara village of Dhaniakali. They ransacked his house and broke the TV, fridge and other electric appliances. Not a single piece of furniture was left intact. They broke his almirah and looted money and other valuables. Three of our Party workers belonging to Napara village of West Gopinathpur of Haripal which is under Arambagh constituency, have been hospitalized. Here TMC hoodlums ransacked five party worker’s houses. Among them, one is the Zonal Committee member, Com. Neelratan Dolui. They stabbed Haru Dolui of Balpai Hathtola. He is now recovering in a hospital. Similar incidents took place in Tarkeshwar and Jangipara also.
Nala, Notungram and Sijopara villages of Bardhaman district were attacked by TMC miscreants. When people of these villages appealed to the police to stop the hijacking of polling booths, instead of stopping TMC goons, they detained 12 CPI(M) supporters. They also tried to stop CPI(M) polling agents from entering the booths, but failed because of people’s resistance.
May 1, 2014