After hectic campaigning and nominations scarred by violence polling for the Panchayat Polls in West Bengal began on Saturday morning under stringent security measures.
A search operation was underway ahead of the West Bengal panchayat polls, on Friday, after police received information that crude bombs and weapons have been stockpiled in the district, an official statement said on Friday.
"Police recovered the body of a BJP leader named Bankim Hansda from the Bodo area of Purulia district. Further investigation into the matter is underway," said Purulia DSP Abhijeet Bandopadhyay.
West Bengal has seen several incidents of violence around the filing of nominations for the panchayat polls as well as after, including one where crude bombs were allegedly hurled at a Block Development Office (BDO) at Ahmadpur in Birbhum district.
"The injured in the Dinhata violence are being shifted to PK Shah Hospital in Coochbehar under the instruction of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose," said an official.
Sensing foul play by regional TMC party candidates contesting in the upcoming three-tier Panchayat Elections, Leader Of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Friday filed an RTI with State Public Information Officer and State Election Commission.
In a letter written to the West Bengal State Election Commission, the state unit of the BJP has called for various confidence-building measures ahead of the Panchayat polls.
Local BJP leader Ajay Roy said, "Those who have created the ruckus and the person who died came from Bangladesh. There was a scuffle between them regarding the exchange of money and no politics was involved."
Days after Calcutta High Court's order, Indian Secular Front (ISF)'s lone MLA Naushad Siddiqui on Sunday received Central security from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"I beg to state that prior to the Panchayat Elections, 2023, the state of West Bengal is literally on the volcano of violence with as many as 10 persons having been fallen victims to crude violence since the Issuance of notifications for the said elections on 8th June," the Congress West Ben