3YEAROLD BOY SHOT IN BENGAL POLITICAL CLASH

BERHAMPORE: A three-year-old boy is in critical condition after being shot in the head in West Bengal’s Malda district on Thursday in the latest clash over elections to panchayat boards that has claimed 10 lives since August 25.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress traded charges over the identity of the attackers. Putul Mondal, the attacked boy’s mother, won a seat on the board of the Manikchak panchayat on a BJP ticket, but later decided to move to the TMC.

The TMC claimed BJP “toughs” shot Mrinal Mondal while targeting his parents, but the BJP denied this.

“You should demand an explanation from the ruling party for the culture of guns and bombs. We are being attacked. Our men are being killed and injured across the state,” said Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh. “I think Trinamool men are behind this incident. Our mendo not have weapons,” BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha claimed.

“Bjp-backed toughs shot a child and are now laying the blame at Trinamool’s door. Our chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) has spoken against the culture of violence all along,” countered West Bengal panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee.

Added Partha Chatterjee, education minister and secretary general of the ruling party: “The BJP loves ‘discovering’ Trinamool Congress hand in everything. But I am in no position to make any comment unless I get a report from the police.”

SREYASI PAL