Calcutta High Court’s single-judge Bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, on Wednesday, directed the police to ensure that candidates from the opposition parties can submit their nominations for the forthcoming panchayat polls in the state without fear.

Justice Mantha passed this direction after hearing a petition filed by the All India Secular Front (AISF) alleging mass-scale violence over the filing of nominations. Justice Mantha also directed the state police to provide all necessary assistance to the AISF candidates in filing the nomination. At the same time, he directed the superintendent of police to submit a report to the court over the violence at Minakhan during this nomination process.

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On Monday morning, Minakhan in North 24-Parganas turned into a virtual battlefield following clashes between the Trinamul Congress and CPM activists. The CPM leadership had alleged that the ruling party activists attacked its party workers.

Meanwhile, the lone AISF representative in the Assembly Naushad Siddique, on Wednesday afternoon reached the state secretariat of Nabanna to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee to complain about the continuing violence in his constituency of Bhangar in South 24-Parganas over the last couple of days over the nomination process. However, he did not get a chance to meet the chief minister.

“I had sent an email to the chief minister’s office seeking her appointment on this count. But I did not get any reply to that email. So, I directly came today to meet and express my apprehensions over the continuing violence and tension at Bhangar. But the chief minister could not give me time probably because of her engagements elsewhere. I came here as a people’s representative, not only for the ISF party, with a purpose to meet the chief minister and complain her about the situation that the opposition parties are facing from filing their nominations,” the ISF leader said.

He was particularly scathing about the role of police, who he said stood as mute spectators, letting the ruling party supporters to unleash attack on opposition supporters. The chief minister is also the state home minister, so it was apparent the complaint should be made to her, he told news persons.