Cooch Behar, 10th April: In a shocking incident, a first-time voter who was standing in a queue at the polling booth in Pagalapir of Sitalkuchi assembly constituency in Cooch Behar district was allegedly shot dead by miscreants. The deceased has been identified as 18 years old Ananda Barman.
The family of the deceased, claiming to be supporters of the saffron party, alleged that the goons of the TMC were behind the incident. However, the local TMC leaders have denied all the allegations.
According to the local sources, Ananda Barman and his family were standing in the voting line, today, when a sudden dispute broke out between activists of Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). Rounds of bullets were also fired randomly. Amidst the conflict, Anand Barman fell victim to the bullet and died on the spot.
While the incident further triggered a clash between TMC and BJP supporters, Central forces had to resort to lathi-charge to bring the situation under control. Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in the area. Reportedly, one person has been detained regarding the incident.