BJP Appoints Panel To Probe West Bengal Panchayat Poll Violence; To Visit Affected Areas

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad will be leading the party's fact-finding committee investigating the violence during the West Bengal panchayat polls.

Earlier, he had criticized the Opposition for their silence regarding the deaths due to the violence.

Prasad questioned why more than 40 people had lost their lives in the gram panchayat election and expressed disappointment at the lack of response from those attempting to form an alliance against Narendra Modi.

He stated that the committee would visit the affected areas and submit a report to the President, hoping that the Mamata government would allow them access to those affected areas.

The four-member committee, appointed by BJP national president JP Nadda, is chaired by Prasad. The committee includes Satya Pal Singh, a former police commissioner of Mumbai and BJP MP, Brij Lal, a former Uttar Pradesh DGP and Rajya Sabha MP, Rekha Verma, BJP National Vice President, and Dr Rajdeep Roy, a BJP leader from Assam.

The committee plans to visit all areas affected by violence, killings, and bomb blasts during the gram panchayat elections in Bengal. Prasad stated that they aim to meet with those who have been tortured and victimized in order to gather information about the situation.

Violence erupted in West Bengal during the three-tier Panchayat polls, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 people. Political workers from various parties, including the BJP, TMC, Congress, and CPI (M), were among the casualties.

Incidents of arson, crude bomb usage, and vandalism were reported in certain areas of the state.

In response to the chaos, the State Election Commission (SEC) has ordered repolling in approximately 700 booths in Bengal, which will take place on Monday (July 17).

The TMC government has faced criticism from the BJP, who accuse them of sponsoring the violence during the elections.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra referred to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as "ruthless" and highlighted media reports claiming that at least 45 people were killed.

The reports mentioned incidents of bombing, bogus voting, and rigging.