At least 9 killed in violence on panchayat polls day in West Bengal

Violence in West Bengal Panchayet election on Saturday. BBC Bangla

At least nine people were killed in violence in West Bengal till Saturday afternoon, the day of the three-tier panchayat elections. These include the ruling Trinamool Congress, the state's main opposition BJP and the Congress and left workers.

There were reports of widespread bombing, arson, looting of ballot papers, booth capturing and even snatching of ballot boxes from almost all districts.

Video footage from local media showed poll workers leaving polling booths to save their lives, irrespective of gender.

Opposition parties have alleged that the central forces have reached the state on the orders of the High Court, but they have not been deployed properly.

The Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, said that its workers and supporters were the most killed today. Of the more than 61,000 booths in the state, 50 were affected, they said. They also blamed the central forces for failing to perform their duties. - BBC Bangla