Special Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma on Wednesday toured South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal and monitored the polling process during the second phase of the Assembly elections, officials said.
Sharma, an IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh who is currently the ACP of Prayagraj, has sparked a political controversy over his proactive measures in the Diamond Harbor area, considered the stronghold of TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, over the past two days to prevent intimidation and violence. Follow live updates of Bangladesh election news here.
Sharma, who earned the nickname “Singham” for his crackdown on criminals, faced protests from TMC leaders and workers on Tuesday who accused him of overstepping his role and “intimidating” party workers ahead of the elections.
Eyewitness accounts claimed that Sharma was heard warning would-be rioters of “appropriate treatment” if they tried to disrupt polls in the state, even arriving at the doorstep of TMC candidate for Falta segment Jehangir Khan, and said authorities would take “firm and immediate steps” if there were reports of voter intimidation.
Despite the party’s political retaliation, which included moving the Calcutta High Court against the officer, Sharma was seen coordinating with the central armed forces deployed in the area and leaving for the polling stations where people were queuing up to exercise their franchise since early morning.
In the early hours of the day, Sharma held a 30-minute closed-door meeting with CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh, who arrived at Diamond Harbor to assess security arrangements in the politically sensitive area, and other senior officials of the force, before the superintendent left for his rounds in the constituency.
According to a CRPF post on X, the Director General, accompanied by senior officers, visited B/4 Company of 343 Adhoc at Diamond Harbor during the second phase of Bengal elections.
“The Director-General interacted directly with the forces on duty, assessed the situation on the ground and directly reviewed the security agencies. He also assessed the logistics of the deployed forces. His visit boosts the morale of our soldiers who are committed to holding peaceful and transparent elections,” the force said in the post.
There have been no reports of any major untoward incident so far from the area, which the Election Commission has classified as highly sensitive.
However, Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, alleged that in several polling stations in Valta, the option to vote for the BJP was blocked using a bar over the EVM poll buttons and demanded re-polling in the affected booths.
“This is the so-called ‘Diamond Harbor model’, the same one that helped Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, secure his Lok Sabha seat,” Malviya wrote on X.
The party’s Bhabanipur candidate Suvendu Adhikari said the BJP is monitoring the developments and will take appropriate steps.
“The Election Commission has also taken note of this. If things go this way, then what is required will be done. I will discuss the matter with the candidate. A few minutes ago, Home Minister Amit Shah ji called me and told him about the Falta incident. This is the TMC’s style,” he said.
Meanwhile, the TMC accused central forces of exercising brute force on the general electorate in Belsinga village in Valta, especially women, who were beaten during a move to disperse a crowd near a polling station.
“In the name of ensuring security, the CRPF soldiers are not sparing even women who have been accused of brutality. The TMC is protesting against the tyranny of the police who have exercised brute force on defenseless villagers. We are drawing the attention of the EC to such illegal actions by the CAPF and requesting the poll body to issue cease and desist orders against such use of force. We believe the people of Bengal will respond to this through electronic voting machines,” the party’s Anirban Banerjee said. The spokesman said.
Over 61 per cent of the 3.21 lakh voters voted till 1 pm of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid reports of sporadic violence from various pockets.
The counting of votes in the two-phase assembly elections in West Bengal is scheduled to take place on May 4.
