Bengal Panchayat Polls: 8 Deaths in First 3 Hours of Polling

Kolkata: Violent incidents were reported from various parts of Bengal during the voting for panchayat polls. The death toll on the poll day reached 8 within the first three hours of voting.

CPI-M worker Rajibul Haq succumbed to his injuries at the Calcutta National Medical College on Saturday. He was hurt in clashes with the TMC in Ausgram, East Burdwan on Friday.

A TMC supporter was lynched, allegedly by the BJP workers in Tufangunj, Cooch Behar. Till now 3 have died in poll violence in Murshidabad, 2 killings in Cooch Behar, and 1 each has died in Malda, North 24 Parganas, and East Burdwan.

A Trinamul worker was shot at in Islampur, Uttar Dinajpur allegedly as a result of party infighting, while in Shamsergunj, Murshidabad a female voter sustained bullet injuries during political clashes which has kept the region on the boil since morning.

Two children, siblings, were injured in the Kashipur area of Bhangar when they tried to fiddle with live crude bombs lying on the road.

Polling began at 7 am.