NEW DELHI: Violence swayed Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi assembly constituency in poll-bound West Bengal on Saturday resulting in five casualties. An 18-year-old first-time voter was reportedly shot dead while in another incident, four people were killed, police officials said.
Polling at Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi station has been adjourned while the Election Commission has sought a report in the matter by 5 pm.
The first incident took place around 8 am, within an hour after the polling in 44 constituencies took off. “The deceased has been Ananda Barman, 18. He was a first-time voter. We have arrested two people in the matter,” Debasish Dhar, superintendent of police (SP), Cooch Behar district, said.
While the BJP claimed that Barman was a party supporter, the TMC alleged he was shot by BJP supporters. The incident followed a clash between BJP and TMC workers and supporters near booth number 285