Political violence relating to the panchayat election continued in West Bengal even as Central forces started arriving in the State on Friday as per the directions of the Calcutta High Court. A Trinamool Congress leader was shot dead at Adra in Purulia district late on Thursday.
During a hearing at the High Court on Friday, the Additional Solicitor General representing the Union of India said that orders had been issued by the Union government for the deployment of 315 companies of Central forces in the State. The forces have arrived in Bankura district which borders Purulia, where Trinamool Congress leader Dhananjay Chaubey was shot outside the party office.
Meanwhile, the High Court said the State Election Commission (SEC) should not shy away from making additional requisitioning of Central forces. After the High Court’s order on June 21 describing the SEC’s requisitioning of 22 companies as “highly inadequate” and directions to the Commission to deploy forces not less than what was deployed during the 2013 panchayat poll, the Commission requisitioned 800 companies of Central forces.
