Panchayat poll: West Bengal Governor visits violence-hit Bhangar, says "violence will be silenced permanently..."

South 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India], June 16 : West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited Bhangar, South 24 Parganas, to assess the impact of recent violence during nominations for panchayat elections on Friday.

After interacting with the victims of the violence, the West Bengal Governor assured that the perpetrators of violence would be silenced permanently under the law of the land. He further added that the people of West Bengal have the right to exercise their right to vote without fearing anyone.

"I interacted with the victims of violence and locals. I can assure the people of Bengal that violence will be the first victim in this election. The perpetrators of violence will be silenced permanently under the Constitution and laws of the land. The peace-loving people of Bengal have a right to exercise their franchise unfearful of anybody else," said West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose.

Earlier on Thursday, while reacting to the violence during the filing of nominations for the panchayat election in the state, Governor CV Ananda Bose said "effective and corrective" action will be taken against those responsible.

Notably, the nomination process for the upcoming panchayat elections in West Bengal has been marred by ongoing violence.

"No words, only action. Wait and watch. You will see effective action, concrete action. That is all I can say now," he said while speaking to ANI.

The governor also issued a statement condemning the violence and attacks on the media.

"Shocked to hear that the death toll in pre-election Bengal is increasing. It is revolting that the media is also under attack by hooligans. Victory in elections should depend on the count of votes, not the count of dead bodies," the Bengal Governor said in a statement.

He added, "When the fourth estate is under attack, it means democracy is under attack. It means the common man is under attack. It means the Constitution is under attack. It means the new generation is under attack."

The Bengal Governor said that violence will be eradicated from the state and miscreants will be shown their place behind bars.

"At any cost, violence will be eradicated and made the first casualty of these panchayat elections. No one, howsoever high and mighty they fancy themselves to be, will be allowed to take the law into their hands," the governor stated.

He added, "Bengal is committed to protecting the rights of the common man for freedom and peace in society at a time when elections to the local bodies are about to take place. Miscreants and those who flaunt muscle power will be brought to book and shown their due place behind bars".

To maintain order, heavy security deployments have been made in the South 24 Parganas district. Tension and unease prevailed in several areas, particularly in the Bhangar block, where clashes between supporters of the ruling TMC and the Naushad Siddiqui-led Indian Secular Front (ISF) have occurred over the past two days.

The panchayat elections in West Bengal will be held in a single phase on July 8, with the counting of votes scheduled for July 11.

The panchayat polls in West Bengal are likely to see a fierce contest between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress, which is being touted as a litmus test for both parties ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.