Kolkata:
Violence continues during the panchayat polls in West Bengal. Security forces have to fire in air today to disperse the crowd that had gathered after some people tried to snatch ballot boxes in North Dinajpur, one of the four districts which have gone to polls in the fifth and final phase today.
There are also reports of an attack on a leader of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in Jalpaiguri. However, there are no reports of any casualty in these incidents.
The three people were injured at Talguri in the Maynaguri police station area during a clash today, another person was hit on the head when he was going to cast his vote, the police said.
All four persons were reported to be CPM supporters.
In another clash last night, three CPM supporters were injured at Paharpur area of the district, sources said. One of the three injured was admitted to hospital.
The polling largely remained peaceful with a 30 per cent voter turnout till noon in the four districts of North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Coochbehar and Jalpaiguri, according to State Election Commission officials.
Twenty people have been killed in the state since the polls began on July 11.
During the voting for fourth phase of panchayat elections on Monday, seven people were killed - three in Murshidabad, two in Birbhum and one each in Malda and Nadia.
Poll violence continued even a day after the elections were held in these districts, leaving four people dead. Two Congress workers and another CPM worker were killed in sporadic incidents of violence in Murshidabad district while the father of an Independent candidate succumbed to his injuries in Birbhum district.