Clashes between supporters of Trinamul candidates and rebels emerged as a challenge for police in several pockets of the 107 civic bodies where voting took place on Sunday.

On a day Opposition parties accused Trinamul of violence and loot of votes, at a few wards in several municipalities, ruling party leaders charged Independents, most of whom are party rebels, with the same.

“The worst was in Murshidabad’s Dhulian’s where an MLA was heckled by people backed by an Independent and four police personnel were injured in a bomb attack. At various places, party supporters and rebels chased each other throughout Sunday,” said a senior Trinamul leader.

Trinamul MLA from Farakka Manirul Islam was thrashed allegedly by goons backed by an Independent candidate of ward 13 of Dhulian municipality when he resisted booth capturing.

Sources said Independent candidate Noor Chasam Khan, wife of former councillor Anwar Hossain, was fielded against Trinamul’s Nargish Khatun in ward 13. MLA Islam, who lives in Dhulian, was told that at least one booth was captured by goons backed by the Independent. The goons allegedly also ransacked a police vehicle.

Later in ward 14, four police personnel, including the SDPO of Murshidabad’s Farakka, Asim Khan, were injured by splinters of crude bombs allegedly hurled by goons backed by the Independent candidate there. Three Trinamul workers were also injured in a bomb attack.

(Additional reporting by Arkamoy Dutta Majumdar)