A polling official was allegedly assaulted during an election training session at a Block Development Office in West Bengal's Nadia district on Friday after he flagged a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The Election Commission (EC) has sought a report from the Nadia district election officer and ordered an FIR. “An FIR has been lodged against two persons who were directly involved in the alleged assault on the polling official,” said a senior district official.
Saikat Chattopadhyay, a school teacher who had come to attend the training, alleged that at the beginning of the session a promotional advertisement featuring West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was shown.
“I was surrounded and beaten up. The BDO himself led the assault. I was threatened. I am feeling insecure. How can free and fair elections be conducted like this?” Chattopadhyay told the media.
This has sparked a sharp political face-off between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the assembly elections.
