North 24 Paragnas, 27 April (H.S.): Tension gripped South Sarai village in Habra Assembly constituency of North 24 Parganas district on Monday, just ahead of the second phase of polling, after bombs were recovered near a polling station. The incident has triggered a political face-off between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with both sides accusing each other of stockpiling explosives. Police rushed to the spot and seized the bombs.

According to the police and local sources, the South Sarai Primary School has been designated as a polling station for Booth No. 43 of the Habra Assembly constituency. On Monday morning, locals spotted eight crude bombs lying near the entrance of the polling booth, sparking panic in the village. The police were immediately informed and reached the scene to safely remove and defuse the explosives.

The incident has intensified political tensions in the area. The TMC alleged that the BJP, anticipating defeat, is trying to create fear and disrupt the election atmosphere. Local TMC leader Liton Mondal claimed that such incidents had never occurred in the village before and alleged that BJP-backed miscreants were behind the act.

The BJP, however, dismissed the allegations and countered that the TMC was attempting to create panic ahead of the polls due to fear of losing. BJP candidate from Habra, Debdas Mondal, alleged that TMC supporters had planted the bombs. The party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission and accused a section of the police of acting under the influence of the ruling party.

Meanwhile, senior officers of the Barasat district police had recently reviewed the law-and-order situation in several parts of the Habra Assembly constituency. Despite that, the recovery of explosives just before polling has raised serious concerns about security arrangements. Many have expressed apprehension over whether free and fair elections can be ensured under such circumstances.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey