Kolkata, May 5 (IANS). The Election Commission on Tuesday directed the West Bengal Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and Central Armed Police Forces deployed in the state to adopt zero tolerance towards post-poll violence.
The Election Commission’s directive came after reports of incidents of violence following the declaration of election results emerged in several parts of the state from Monday evening.
TMC alleged that several of its party offices were vandalized and its workers were assaulted.
The party office of former TMC MLA Arup Biswas was also demolished in Tollygunge area of South Kolkata.
A TMC office was also vandalized in Beliaghata area and a worker was beaten up.
TMC also claimed that Abhishek Banerjee’s office in Amtla also came under mob attack.
After these incidents, the Election Commission directed the state Chief Secretary, DGP and CAPF personnel to take strict action and adopt zero tolerance policy on such incidents.
After almost one and a half decade, political change has been seen in the state. Bharatiya Janata Party came to power by winning 207 seats out of 293, while TMC’s seats dropped from 215 to 80 in 2021.
Earlier in the day, Kolkata Police had warned of legal action against those spreading fake or inflammatory posts on social media, which could lead to unrest in the city.
Police said the situation in the city is under control and appealed to people not to share such posts. The warning was issued after several pictures and videos were going viral on social media, in which claims of violence were being made after the election results.
At the same time, on Monday, many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and supporters gathered outside Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata and raised slogans.
Videos viral on social media showed hundreds of BJP supporters raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘BJP Zindabad’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ on the streets near the Chief Minister’s residence in Kolkata’s Kalighat area. Later the police reached the spot, dispersed the crowd and controlled the situation.
–IANS
AMT/DKP