Streets nearly empty on poll-eve in Cooch Behar

COOCH BEHAR: It was 7.15 in the evening on Wednesday and Cooch Behar town had few people on the roads in the middle of Chaitra sale days before Poila Boisakh.
Shops dolled up their fronts with jazzy LED lights and clothes stacked on racks. But the roads leading to Bhabaniganj Bazar, trading hub of the town, were unusually empty on Wednesday evening — hours before the north Bengal district goes to polls in the first phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“The town usually stays awake till late into the night, especially around festivals. It seems that people have kept indoors as they are apprehending tension ahead of poll,” said Rajeev Alam, a toto driver who was waiting on Suniti Road for passengers.
Branded showrooms have come up along Suniti Road, which joins Bhabaniganj Bazar with the town’s eastern part. “Cooch Behar town gets shoppers from even neighbouring districts during Chaitra sale. The thick crowd we saw even yesterday has suddenly vanished,” Alam said.
Hours back, central forces marched into pockets of the town, sending the signal that the Election Commission had taken up the law and order issue seriously. But residents still could not dismiss any chance of violence breaking out on the streets.
“Every step is being taken to ensure a free and fair poll in the district. As many as 45 companies of central forces have been deployed to man booths across Cooch Behar. Apart from that, a quick response team of central forces will be on patrol,” said Amit Kumar Singh, superintendent of police who replaced Abhishek Gupta two days before the poll.
Barely 12km off Cooch Behar town, villages in blocks such as Suktabari, Hari Bhanga, Putimari, Ghughumari and Patchhara looked empty. “Such is the fear among locals. They are yet to get over the experience of the 2018 panchayat polls. There should have been more area domination by central forces to instill confidence among voters,” said Gobinda Roy, Forward Bloc candidate from Cooch Behar.
Vivek Dubey, special police observer for West Bengal, held a meeting with district police officers on Wednesday. The poll panel has decided to deploy central forces in 1,060 booths of the total 2,010 in the district.