A primary school teacher on election duty was assaulted allegedly by people present during a polling personnel training session in Nadia’s Ranaghat on Friday after he objected to the screening of a state government advertisement featuring Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, raising serious concerns over the neutrality of administrative processes and the safety of officials engaged in poll work.

The incident took place at the Ranaghat Debnath Institution for Boys, where Saikat Chatterjee of Pyradanga, assigned as a first polling officer, along with several other trainees, protested against the screening of a video related to the inauguration of the Jagannath temple in Digha. Chatterjee termed the screening a violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) in Bengal, to which he was physically assaulted allegedly by some officials and outsourced staff, leaving him with a bleeding forehead.

Taking note of the incident, the Election Commission of India sought a detailed report from the district election officer and directed the state police to ensure adequate security for polling personnel. After a probe, the Nadia district administration suspended two officials and showcaused the block development officer (BDO) in charge of the training venue.

The district magistrate and district election officer of Nadia, Srikant Palli, said: “The video (state government advertisement) was inadvertently played on a hired laptop, but it was still a violation of the model code of conduct. We have showcaused the BDO and suspended two officers.”

The agitation led to the suspension of the training session for the day as polling personnel began a demonstration demanding the arrest of the culprits. Speaking to reporters, Chatterjee said: “According to the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, I objected to the video screening, but the block development officer in charge at the training centre and his staff turned violent and assaulted me.”

Amid the controversy, a section of polling personnel alleged that individuals linked to poll consultant I-PAC, hired by Trinamool, infiltrated the training session posing as temporary staff and screened the video with the intent to influence polling officials. Chatterjee claimed that those assigned to handle laptops, projectors, monitors, and other accessories were active Trinamool Congress cadres.

“When I requested one of them to present his ID card, a crowd gathered around me in front of the BDO and attacked me in his presence. Instead of managing the situation, he (the BDO) incited them, acting as a Trinamool Congress worker. If this is the state of fairness in polling arrangements, no vote is required at all,” Chatterjee alleged.

Hanskhali BDO Sayantan Bhattacharyya denied the allegations of assault and accused Chatterjee of creating unrest. He claimed that Chatterjee could have been injured in the resultant scuffle. “He (Chatterjee) was misbehaving with our staff. Those who operate projectors do not have identity cards. There was an altercation, and he might have suffered injury during a scuffle due to his misbehaviour,” the BDO said.

However, the BJP has taken up the issue in a big way. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, in a social media post, said that the episode was a part of a broader “culture of terror,” alleging that the administration was being used as a “tool” to canvass in favour of the state government. He urged the EC to take immediate cognisance of the incident, register an FIR, and ensure strict action against those responsible.

Ranaghat BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar alleged that the teacher had been branded a BJP worker for objecting to the screening and then assaulted.