What is danda for one is duty for another. So it was in Haldia on Thursday when central forces were accused of beating up a Trinamul councillor, Sheikh Abdul Kader.

But the forces say they were merely discharging their duty of sanitising the protected zones around polling booths.

"He was standing along with 30 youths within the 100-metre periphery of Bhabanipur Ramkrishna Primary School where two polling booths were located. We warned him and asked him to leave immediately. But he started abusing us. His followers too joined him," said a CISF jawan.

Alerted, a mobile squad too reached the spot. "When we tried to chase them, Kader and his group stood their ground. When we pushed him, he said he was the councillor. We had to show why we had been brought in," the jawan said without elaborating. Sources said at least 20 youths were beaten and chased away.

Kader, who later filed a police complaint against unknown personnel of the central forces, denied the charge of unlawful assembly and accused the central forces of high-handedness. "I was returning home after casting my vote and central force personnel beat me without any provocation," he said.

Fifteen companies of central forces, along with 500 state police personnel, were deployed in the Haldia Assembly constituency.

The central forces were seen playing a proactive role near several polling stations in Haldia. They kept dispersing people who either stood near the polling station even after casting their votes or had come from outside. The state police force, too, joined them and acted promptly.

Trinamul MP Subhendu Adhikari accused the central forces of acting as cadres of the rival political parties.

"The chief minister alerted us about the role of the central police force on May 1 during her East Midnapore visit.... The Opposition has no polling agents here and the central forces are playing the role of their polling agents," Adhikari said.