2023 West Bengal panchayat poll violence | |
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Date | 8 June 2023 - 13 July 2023 |
Location | 22°59′12″N 87°51′18″E / 22.9868°N 87.8550°E |
Caused by | Violent clashes between workers of political parties across various parts of the state |
Methods | Arson, Shooting, Rioting |
Casualties | |
Death(s) | 48 [1] |
Injuries | 400+ [2] |
A violent clash erupted between various workers of political parties including TMC, BJP, Congress and CPI (M) during the poll day of panchayat elections on 8 July 2023 in West Bengal. According to reports of Aljazeera and Reuters, at least 11 were killed and dozens more injured in clashes.[3][4] Partial violence across the state had started from the announcement of the dates of polling from 8 June resulting in few casualties too. With polling and elections going on, violence against many workers continued over the streets of the state. The state witnessed gun shots, assaults, rioting and arsons wide across many parts of the state. Moreover, ballot boxes had been destroyed in various parts of the state. The polling process began at 7 am in 73,887 seats in rural areas of the state, where approximately 56,700,000 people were expected to cast their votes.[5]