Bengal DGP denies allegations of BJP candidate being paraded naked on poll day

Kolkata, July 21 (IANS): West Bengal Director General of Police Manoj Malviya on Friday denied allegations made by BJP that one of its candidates at Howrah was paraded naked on the polling day.

The DGP said that following investigation over a complaint filed, it is evident that no such incident took place at Panchla on the polling day.

“The district police superintendent of Howrah (rural) received a complaint on July 13 by email that on July 8, which was polling day, a woman was forcibly pulled out from a polling booth at Panchla and her clothes were torn.

“The police started investigating in the matter by filing an FIR. Investigations revealed that no such incident took place at the area on that day,” he said.

The DGP claimed that heavy security arrangements, which included personnel from central armed forces, were also deployed in the area for the purpose of poll- security.

“No such incident came to their notice on that day. Even we checked the CCTV footage in the area, which also did not confirm any such incident. We have even sent a notice to the purported victim to know whether she had any specific complaint in the matter. Till now she had not got back to us or given a response to our call for recording her statement,” Malviya said.

He also claimed that recently the leader of the opposition and the central fact- finding team of BJP also visited the spot. “Even they seem to have no information about such an incident. Our investigation is still on,” Malviya said.

On Friday afternoon, BJP state president in West Bengal Sukanta Majumdar and party Lok Sabha members alleged that at Panchla in Howrah district, a woman was paraded naked for fighting as BJP nominee in the rural civic body polls.