Kolkata Police have banned crowds in seven key areas of the city following a night of tension between political rivals. The move comes after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders claimed they saw “suspicious activity” at counting centres where votes from the recent assembly election are being held. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Why the Ban Was Put in Place
The drama kicked off late last night at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja led protests at the gates, claiming things weren’t above board. This led to a heated standoff and chanting matches between BJP and TMC supporters. Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited a counting centre to check on the “strong rooms” where the ballot boxes are stored.
To keep the peace, police have now restricted gatherings in these locations:
- Sahid Kshudiram Bose Road
- Judge’s Court Road
- Jadavpur
- Diamond Harbour Road
- Lord Sinha Hall
- Naresh Mitra Sarani (Beltala Road)
- Pramathesh Barua Sarani
Election Officials Dismiss “Suspicious” Claims
Despite the outcry, West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, has cleared up the confusion. He explained that what the TMC called “suspicious” was actually just staff sorting postal ballots.
Because electricity isn’t allowed inside the high-security strong rooms, officials were using torches to see what they were doing in the corridors. Agarwal confirmed that:
- All electronic voting machines (EVMs) were sealed in front of witnesses.
- Political parties were notified about the ballot sorting via email.
- Representatives from both the BJP and TMC have since been shown the secure areas to prove everything is in order.
Following these clarifications, TMC leaders ended their protests and left the sites.
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