Kolkata: Exactly 36 hours before the second and final phase of voting, the house of Kolkata Mayor and Trinamool Congress candidate from Kolkata Port constituency, Firhad Hakim, was raided by central forces and police observers. A CRPF commander and a police observer were accused of going to the Mayor’s residence in Chetla in the wee hours of Tuesday and ‘threatening’ him.
There has been a lot of excitement in Kolkata over this incident.
Firhad Hakim alleged that central forces and police observers suddenly arrived at his house after midnight. He was called there and given a direct warning. According to the mayor, “I was called and told not to cause any problems in the area, not to prevent agents from sitting in polling booths. Otherwise, there will be consequences.”
In response, Firhad said that there is never any trouble in Chetla area during elections. But even then he was threatened again, saying, “It’s better if you don’t, otherwise we will see to it.”
Strongly protesting the incident, the veteran Trinamool Congress leader said, “I saw such incidents during the Naxalite era, when searches were conducted from house to house. Have I ever rigged? Have I ever used a gun or knife? Then why am I being threatened like this?”
He added that the common man will not take this abuse of power well and respond via the ballot box on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that the fate of heavyweight candidates in 142 seats in the state will be decided on Wednesday in the second and final phase of voting in West Bengal. The commission has deployed 273 companies of central forces in Kolkata alone to ensure fair elections.
Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress candidate from Falta constituency in Diamond Harbour Jahangir Khan criticised Election Commission appointed police observer Ajay Pal Sharma after he was seen issuing threats to his family members and locals.
The Trinamool Congress has slammed the Election Commission for using police observers to intimidate its candidates ahead of the second phase of voting.
(IANS)
