Belpahari (West Midnapore), April 30: Suspected Maoists blew up a jeep carrying polling personnel near here, killing three at 6.30pm today.
The victims — Prasad Banerjee, who was in-charge of a “sector” comprising several booths, Sougata Karmakar, his assistant, and Sanjay Das, the driver — were returning to the election office set up at Jhargram Raj College, about 30km away.
A cellphone was found near the jeep. Police said the blast was triggered by a detonator with the help of a long electrical wire that snaked into the jungle, which the road cuts through. The jeep was blown to smithereens because of the explosion.
In the morning, two BSF jawans were injured when an improvised explosive device went off at a primary school in Purulia’s Balarampur.
Balurghat: The Trinamul Congress on Thursday complained against the RSP candidate of Balurghat, Prasanta Majumder, after he accompanied his 92-year-old mother inside a polling booth and allegedly helped her push the button of the EVM. District magistrate and returning officer Ashok Kumar Banerjee said he was yet to receive any complaint. Majumder said he had helped his mother identify the symbol as she had a blurred vision. “But I did, in no way, influence her,” Majumdar added.
Jaigaon: A 65-year-old woman was killed by a wild tusker at Sidabari village in Madarihat block on Wednesday evening. B. Mondal, the east ranger of Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, said Behula Roy was trampled to death after she had come out of the house that was being attacked by the elephant.
Siliguri: North Bengal University will hold its 41st annual convocation at Vidyasagar Mancha on May 5. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the chancellor, will preside over the function where K.N. Panikkar, the chairman of Kerala Council for Higher Education, will be present as chief guest.
