West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrives at a polling station to caste her vote during the Municipal Corporation Election in Kolkata on Saturday. (Press Trust of India)
Just an hour after voting closed in
Kolkata municipal election, a police sub-inspector was shot at in post-poll violence. The incident occurred near Girish Park in north Kolkata.
The policeman was taken to hospital and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to see him but courted controversy by calling sporadic clashes in the city "small incidents at a few places".
"The sub-inspector has suffered a shoulder wound. His condition is stable say doctors. They will decide when to conduct surgery," Ms Banerjee said.
"I thank the police for holding peaceful polls. I am saying peaceful now, after the polls are over. Polls were held on 144 seats. A few small incidents in a few places have happened but that should not take away from by and large peaceful polls," she added.
The Opposition immediately attacked Ms Banerjee, saying everything was a small matter for her - from the Park Street rape, students beating up a college principal and the poll related violence in the city today.
There were bombs hurled at almost a dozen places during polling, shots fired at a CPM leader on Kyd Street in central Kolkata and at Baghajatin in southern part of the city. "Several complaints of booth jamming and false voting have been filed with the State Election Commission, more than an ideal election should have warranted," Commissioner Ranjan Upadhyay said.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayasta also came in for criticism as he could not confirm the shoot-out during a press conference well after the incident happened.
Who shot the police officer is not confirmed yet, but locals are pointing fingers at miscreants close to the Trinamool Congress.