Around 500 supporters of BJP and CPM deserted their homes in Cooch Behar district to shift to Assam or even Bangladesh since Saturday following attacks by suspected Trinamul supporters during the panchayat polls.
According to sources, around 200 CPM supporters in Balabhut, a village in Tufanjganj-I block, walked across the India-Bangladesh border through an unfenced area and took shelter in Bangladesh. The Kaljani river separates the area from other parts of Cooch Behar district.
“On Saturday, while the election was in progress, some Trinamul workers ransacked the house of a CPM candidate in Balabhut. In the evening, another 30 to 35 houses of our supporters were ransacked. After such attacks, around 200 people left home and entered Bangladesh through an unfenced area. They are staying in Uttar Tilai village,” said Mijanur Rehman, a CPM candidate contesting in a panchayat samiti seat from Balabhut, over the phone.
Uttar Tilai, sources said, is a village under Bhurungamari police station in Kurigram district, Bangladesh.
Mijanur said he was now in Agomani, a locality in Assam's Dhubri district. “Over 100 CPM supporters moved into Assam like me,” he added.
On Sunday, a police team visited Balabhut and assured villagers of all help. “However, Left supporters, fearing attacks, moved to other places,” a villager said.
Around 250 BJP supporters from Tufanjganj, on the interstate (Bengal-Assam) border, Sitai, Dinhata-I and Cooch Behar-I have shifted to Assam. Furthermore, around 30 BJP supporters are staying at the district party office here in Cooch Behar town.
Bazlu Mian, a resident of Sitai and a BJP supporter staying at the district party office, said Trinamul supporters attacked them on Saturday.
“They ransacked homes of all BJP supporters of my village. They took away cash, valuables and even cattle. We felt unsafe and so we left,” said Mian.
Sukumar Roy, the district BJP president, slammed Trinamul for resorting to violence across villages. District Trinamul leaders denied the charges as "baseless". "Our leader was murdered in Tufanganj," said a Trinamul leader.
