Sumit Panda, who was appointed presiding officer for conducting panchayat polls at Kashipur gram panchayat under Beledanga Block-II in Murshidabad on July 8, submitted before Calcutta High Court on Friday that members of ruling Trinamul Congress had rigged the polls for three hours at the booth under his supervision.

Panda, an employee of a central school, made the admission in an affidavit that he submitted to the court on Friday. "I was so scared that I could not protest, " Panda mentioned in his affidavit placed before Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court.

Panda has also mentioned that the rigging happened for three hours from 12 noon on poll day.

The judge had sought the affidavit from the presiding officer following a petition by CPM candidate Nasima Bibi, who fought but lost the poll for the Kashipur gram panchayat seat.

In her affidavit, Nasima claimed that her agents were forcefully driven out of the polling station soon after voting commenced in the morning.

Later in the day, the ruling party goons did not allow genuine voters to exercise their right to franchise and rigged the election, Nasima's affidavit stated.

Nasima had stated that the presiding officer was merely a spectator to the malpractice.

Responding to Nasima's charges, Panda in his affidavit said that the goons had forcefully snatched away his mobile phone and made him write that the election had been conducted peacefully.

Following the submission of the two affidavits, Justice Sinha asked the lawyer for the State Election Commission: "What was your police doing?"

The judge then said that it was clear from the presiding officers affidavit that fair polling was not held at Kashipur gram panchayat. The court asked the SEC to file an affidavit by September 8 stating why re-polling should not be ordered for this particular seat.