Hooghly, 08 April (H.S.): A brief scare gripped a poll rally of West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Serampore on Wednesday after sparks from a fire were noticed near the stage area, prompting panic among attendees.

Banerjee immediately halted her speech upon noticing the commotion and expressed strong displeasure over the incident. She directed officials to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

Preliminary findings suggest that a short circuit caused by a loose electrical connection in an open box may have triggered the sparks. The situation was brought under control quickly and no injuries were reported, officials said. Police cordoned off the area to prevent any untoward incident.

Questioning the lapse, the chief minister asked how such an incident could occur and called for accountability.

The development comes days after a similar fire incident was reported at a rally addressed by Abhishek Banerjee in Birbhum’s Labhpur, though no major damage was reported there either.

Earlier in the day, Banerjee had taken out a rally from her Kalighat residence to file her nomination papers at the Survey Building in Alipore, following which she continued her campaign in various parts of Hooghly district.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey