Election Commission Seeks Report on Trinamul-BJP Clash in Dinhata, Bengal

The Election Commission of India has asked the Cooch Behar district magistrate for a report following the clash between Trinamul and the BJP on Tuesday night in Dinhata.

This was the first significant instance of political violence recorded from anywhere in Bengal since the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections.

Sources claim that the DM has stated that the preliminary report he received from the superintendent of police describes a fight that started when two people got out of Cooch Behar BJP MP Nisith Pramanik's convoy and started a verbal altercation with Trinamul supporters who were commemorating state minister Udayan Guha and Trinamul Dinhata MLA Trinamul's birthday. Things became worse as the BJP supporters claimed that Trinamul supporters were impeding the MP's motorcade.

"On Wednesday, the DM forwarded a report to the state's chief election officer, Aariz Aftab, who forwarded it to Delhi. According to a source, the EC may give the administration directions after reviewing the report.

Cooch Behar, a district that borders Bengal to the north, is renowned for its unstable political climate. Additionally, it borders Bangladesh and the neighboring state of Assam.

Observers noted that reports of political violence had been made from various parts of the district throughout the previous 56 years.

The BJP and Trinamul officials have been attacked, party workers have died, residences have been set on fire, and cars have been looted in Dinhata, where the intensity of this violence has reached its peak. The district was also well-known for its severe intra-Trinamul infighting, however this appears to have subsided somewhat in the wake of politicians here receiving frequent reprimands from state Trinamul officials, such as Mamata Banerjee. We are concerned about whether the poll will be peaceful now that the polls are getting closer," a seasoned local lawmaker stated.

He claimed that the saffron camp gained ground in the district after Nisith Pramanik left Cooch Behar and joined the BJP.

Since then, the BJP and Trinamul have clashed multiple times. Udayan Guha suffered a fractured hand as a result of an attack in May 2021 by individuals believed to be BJP supporters. He mentioned that Pramanik's convoy was attacked once more in June of last year, and he blamed Trinamul for it.

Furthermore, the Sitai Trinamul MLA Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, who the party has fielded this time against Pramanik, has repeatedly claimed that BJP attacks prevented him from entering his residence.

Following the 2019 general election and the 2021 Assembly elections, hundreds of Cooch Behar-based BJP supporters fled to Assam, where they took refuge in relief camps and claimed that their homes had been burned down or looted because they had supported the party.

Police and the administration eventually decided to bring them back on their own.

The BJP, which took home seven of the state's eight Lok Sabha seats in north Bengal in 2019, is attempting to gain more ground in the state and is fervently attempting to hold onto the seats. Trinamul is committed to driving the BJP out of this area, which the saffron party views as its stronghold.

A senior administrative officer declared, "Arrangements will be made to uphold law and order through quick response and early intervention mechanisms."

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