East Medinipur, 01 May (H.S.): Tension prevailed outside a strong room in Egra in West Bengal’s East Medinipur district on Friday following allegations of bias against the officer-in-charge of Egra Police Station, officials said.

Trinamool Congress candidate Piyush Kanti Panda alleged that the officer-in-charge, Sushanta Chattopadhyay, had “illegally” escorted BJP candidate Tapan Maity of Potashpur into the strong room, raising questions over the transparency of the electoral process.

As news of the alleged incident spread, hundreds of Trinamool supporters gathered outside the premises, gheraoed the police officer and staged protests demanding his removal. The agitation led to the blockade of the area around the strong room for a considerable period.

Sub-divisional officer Manjit Yadav rushed to the spot and held talks with the protesters in an attempt to pacify the situation, but tensions continued to run high.

Central forces were later deployed and used mild force to disperse the crowd, officials said, adding that a large contingent of police and central personnel has been stationed in the area to maintain law and order.

The Trinamool leadership has demanded immediate transfer of the officer concerned and warned of a larger agitation if action is not taken.

There was no immediate reaction from BJP leaders on the allegations.

The incident comes amid heightened political tensions over EVM security in the state, with Trinamool leaders earlier staging protests and raising concerns over alleged irregularities at strong rooms ahead of counting scheduled on May 4.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey