Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed police to file an affidavit listing facilities made available to candidates who complained of facing resistance while filing nominations for the July 8 panchayat elections in West Bengal.

Petitioners alleged that several candidates in South and North 24 Parganas were unable to file their nominations owing to forcible prevention allegedly by ruling party supporters despite court orders directing police to assist them to file their papers.

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed police to file an affidavit listing facilities that were made available to specifically assist any candidate who complained of facing resistance in filing nomination.

The court directed police to state the steps taken to comply with its June 15 and 16 orders and deployment of forces in Kashipur, Basirhat, Canning, Bhangore, Minakhan, Sandeshkhali-I and II, Nazat, Haroa and Jibantala police stations, which it observed are admittedly sensitive areas.

The high court had on June 15 and 16 directed that adequate security and escort be provided to candidates for filing nominations for the panchayat elections after it was alleged before it that opposition candidates were being forcibly prevented from filing their papers in the BDO offices at some places in North and South 24 Parganas.

During the hearing on Tuesday, senior advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay, appearing for the state, submitted that huge crowds, who he claimed owe allegiance to opposition ISF, had attacked the BDO offices at Basirhat and Bhangore II after 3 pm on June 16.

It was further submitted that in clashes between supporters of ISF and the ruling Trinamool Congess, two TMC supporters and an ISF supporter were killed.

ISF, a relatively new entrant in West Bengal's political scene, has its lone MLA Nawsad Siddique from Bhangore constituency.

Appearing for some of the petitioners, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya claimed that police had failed to carry out any of the orders passed by the court.

He alleged that as a consequence, not only had the violent clashes occurred but lives were also lost and the candidates in question could not file their nominations.

Banerjee denied the allegations made against police.

The court directed police to state in the affidavit the number of personnel deployed to facilitate the candidates to file their nominations and whether any person has been arrested for the clashes.

Justice Mantha directed police to produce before the court the CCTV footage inside and around the offices of the block development officers concerned, on the next date of hearing on July 4.

Police was also directed to preserve the CCTV footage outside and inside the police stations from 9 am of June 14 to 5 pm of June 16.

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