A first information report (FIR) has been lodged against Trinamool Congress MLA Ratna Chatterjee, who is the party's candidate this time as well, over an incident of vandalism at a local office of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Behala (Paschim) Assembly constituency in the southern outskirts of Kolkata.
The FIR has been registered following the instruction of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is in charge of the general and police administration in West Bengal now, with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in force amid the crucial two phase Assembly polls in the state later this month, confirmed an official from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
The West Bengal unit of the BJP had earlier complained to the ECI that a group of Trinamool Congress supporters led by Chatterjee launched an unprovoked attack at a local BJP office within Behala (Paschim) on Sunday night, following which acute tension prevailed in the area till early Monday morning.
There were scuffles between BJP and Trinamool Congress supporters during the incident. The BJP candidate from Behala (Paschim) Assembly constituency, Dr Indranil Khan, was also present at the spot then. Later, under his leadership, the BJP's supporters also staged protests in front of the local Parnasree Police Station and filed a formal complaint against Chatterjee.
BJP also brought the matter to the notice of the CEO's office and the Commission, and an FIR was lodged against Chatterjee following the ECI's instructions.
Chatterjee, however, has denied the allegations and said the tension broke out as BJP supporters brought down posters and festoons of the Trinamool Congress and destroyed them. She has also lodged a counter-complaint against the BJP at Parnasree Police Station.
Although Chatterjee is the outgoing Trinamool Congress legislator from the adjacent Behala (Purba) constituency, this time the party nominated her from Behala (Paschim), where the erstwhile five-time party legislator was the former West Bengal education minister and former Trinamool Congress secretary general, Partha Chatterjee.
This time, Trinamool Congress denied him re-nomination because of his involvement in the multi-crore cash-for-school job case, for which he was behind bars for over three years and is currently out on bail.
(With inputs from IANS)
