Lok Sabha polls 2024: Violence erupts in West Bengal's Cooch Behar; TMC activists injured in stone pelting

West Bengal Lok Sabha elections 2024: Two TMC activists injured in attack in West Bengal's Cooch Behar hours before polling started. The constituency in northern West Bengal began the election's first phase today at 7 a.m.

Two Trinamool Congress activists were injured in an attack by unidentified assailants in West Bengal's Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat on Thursday night, just hours before polling. The seat in northern West Bengal will go to polls in the first phase on April 19 at 7 a.m. North Bengal Development Minister and TMC Dinhata MLA Udayan Guha accused the BJP of arranging the incident.

He informed reporters at a nearby hospital that the two were on their way to the booth committee president's residence in Dinhata when they were stopped and attacked with sharp weapons.

"The BJP has already started its terror and intimidation tactics in the entire Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat. They are carrying out murderous attacks on our supporters. People will respond to their terror by rejecting the BJP," Guha said.

Guha stated that one of the injured TMC employees received brain injuries, while the other had major wounds to the hand and leg. A police official stated that a strong police force has been dispatched to the area, and patrolling has been increased to avoid any further clashes between the two sides. He stated that the injured were TMC employees and police were investigating the incident. The identity of the assailants had yet to be determined.

The names of the injured individuals were not yet revealed. A local BJP representative denied the party's role in the event. "This is a TMC internal feud. "The BJP is not involved," he explained. 

Aside from Cooch Behar, the first phase of the West Bengal Lok Sabha election will take place on April 19 in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar.