West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, alleged that CRPF personnel and central observers are harassing people during the second phase of the Assembly polls in the state.
She claimed that even women and children were assaulted. The atrocities began last night, she said, and added that several people have been taken into custody.
"CRPF cannot torture like this. There is no state police at any booth. They have captured it all. They should secure the border. Instead of doing that, they are securing one political party... I have never seen this. I have been fighting elections since 1984, but the atrocities are terrible," the West Bengal chief minister claimed.
"This is contempt of court. I have never seen such democracy," she said, even as she expressed confidence in the TMC winning the elections in the state.
In the morning, Banerjee had accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
Polling got underway in 142 constituencies, including Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas, and Purba Bardhaman, in the second and final phase of the Assembly elections on Wednesday. Until 3 pm, a 78.68 per cent voter turnout was recorded.
Meanwhile, Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari landed in the same polling booth area in Bhabanipur's Chakraberia on Wednesday morning.
Though they did not come face-to-face or exchange courtesies, the two rival candidates were briefly in the same area in ward number 70 of Chakraberia. As Banerjee remained on the verandah of the party office, Adhikari arrived on the road, just opposite the spot, accompanied by a large contingent of central forces personnel, and launched an attack on the chief minister, claiming she had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
