Bombs, bullets, arson mark West Bengal panchayat polls

Bombs, guns and knives flaunted openly in angry flag marches. Opponents shot or hacked to death. Houses vandalised and torched. Allegations followed by denials. The familiar yet volatile story of large-scale violence that accompanies any election in West Bengal continues. At least 100 homes of Left Front supporters were set on fire in three villages in Basanti area in South 24 Parganas district this morning, allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress supporters. The TMC has denied the allegation. 13 people have died in the past week in various poll-related clashes across West Bengal even as two more phases of voting are left in the five-phase panchayat elections that began on July 11. In Murshidabad, which votes tomorrow, three Congress supporters were killed today. Police say two Congress supporters were killed early today in Kapashdanga village in the Beldanga police station area while making bombs at the house of one Majid Ali, who has fled the area with his family. A third person -- Congress supporter Ripon Sheikh -- was killed when bombs were hurled at him at Geet village in the Bharatpur police station area. Another person was injured and rushed to hospital. Murshidabad also witnessed two deaths yesterday. Jitesh Sheikh of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was killed by bombs at Sunderpur village. In Mirzapur Dakshinpara, Yasin Sheikh of the Congress was shot and hacked to death. Murshidabad is one of four districts going to the polls in the fourth phase of panchayat elections; Birbhum, Nadia and Malda being the other three. In another incident, the TMC alleges two of its workers were attacked by CPI-M men last night with choppers in Raidighi police station area. The Left party has denied the allegation. On Friday, during the third phase of polling, three people died in clashes at Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts.