‘Ripped my clothes, threw..’: BJP worker alleges being sexually assaulted by TMC workers during Bengal rural polls

A Bharatiya Janata Party worker alleged she was sexuall assaulted by ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Howrah the day West Bengal voted in panchayat elections on July 8.

The saffron party worker claimed that she was dragged by her hair by unknown individuals associated with the rival party and later pushed down a flight of stairs.

“….They also ripped my clothes. Later, I went to a nearby house to borrow clothes to wear. Had my husband not been present there they could have done anything to me. He saved me. I have filed an FIR in this incident,” she told ANI.

However, West Bengal director general of police (DGP) M Malviya dismissed the allegations saying that no evidence was found of the occurrence of the incident.

While addressing a press conference on Friday, the Bengal top cop said, “On 13 July, SP Howrah Rural received a complaint by email from BJP that on July 8, a woman was forcibly pulled out from a polling booth in Howrah’s Panchla and her clothes were torn. On this complaint, the police were ordered to register an FIR and conduct further investigation.”

The gram sabha candidate’s statement came hours after BJP MP Locket Chatterjee was seen weeping on camera, relating the incidence of Manipur with West Bengal. She cited several cases involving crime against women and said: “The situation in Manipur also prevails in West Bengal.”

The elections for 63,229 Gram Panchayat seats along with 9,730 Panchayat Samitis and 928 Zilla Parishads in West Bengal took place on July 8 marred with widespread violence, looting of ballots papers and rigging.

There were also reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes, clashes between political parties and assault of presiding officers from several districts in the state.