In the continuing pre-poll violence over the July 8 panchayat polls in West Bengal, a local Congress leader Aurobindo Mondal was lynched allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress activists in Murshidabad district on Friday morning.

This fresh casualty takes the total number of pre-poll deaths to 18 in the last 29 days since the polling dates were announced on June 8, with four being reported from Murshidabad district alone.

Ironically, the incident coincides with the arrival of West Bengal Governor  C.V. Ananda Bose in Murshidabad this morning to visit violence-stricken pockets in the district.

Family members of the victim as well as the district leadership of Congress have alleged that Mondal was first chased and then lynched by the local Trinamool activists.

However, the local Trinamool leadership has denied the allegations. 

When contacted, Congress leader and counsel of Calcutta High Court Kaustav Bagchi said that it is yet to be known how many more deaths will satisfy the ruling party and the state election commission. 

“The entire administration is paralysed and the election commission is acting just like a puppet in the hands of the ruling party,” he said.

On Thursday only, the Governor launched a scathing attack against the state election commissioner Rajiva Sinha holding the latter solely responsible for the continuing violence. 

“We put up a fence to guard the crops. What do we do when the fence itself eats up the crops?  If democracy is dead during these Panchayat elections, who is the killer? Will the State Election Commissioner please raise his hand? You should know who the killer is,” the Governor said.

Now with 18 deaths pre-poll deaths reported in the last 30 days, everyone is apprehensive of what the situation will be on the polling day on Saturday.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)