Malda, June 19: The Trinamul Congress and the Congress today traded charges on the election of Left Front-backed Nihar Ghosh as the chairman of Englishbazar municipality yesterday and accused police of being spectators during the clashes that followed.

The police said Trinamul supporters attacked front rallyists, triggering the clash.

Today, the front held a series of meetings and took out rallies across the town condemning the violence unleashed on the cadre. Ironically, the police were their target, too.

“They stood like wooden dolls when Trinamul activists attacked our victory procession. I have informed the chief minister about the police’s role,” said Jiban Moitra, the party’s district secretary.

He claimed that the Trinamul supporters had fired at rallyists in full view of the police officers. “One of them is in hospital with a bullet wound. Not a single person has been arrested,” Moitra said.

The CPM leader said he has filed an FIR at the Englishbazar police station naming Krishnendu Chowdhury, the district Trinamul president, and others who led the assault.

The former Trinamul chairman of the civic body, Krishnendu Chowdhury, too, accused the police of playing “wooden dolls”. He said: “They stood watching as two scooters burnt in front of our office.”

Ghosh, an Independent, became chairman following alleged cross-voting of Congress-Trinamul councillors. Trinamul accused the Congress of secretly supporting the Left. In the 25-member board, the front has 11 councillors, Trinamul 8, the Congress 4, and the BJP 1. The other is Ghosh.

Biswanath Guha of the Congress threatened to file a defamation suit against Chowdhury for implying that he voted for the Left. “I am with the Congress and will remain so. There was no cross-voting from our side. Trinamul brought the CPM to power,” Guha said.