Police personal stand guard as supporters of BJP block the National Highway 31 during a protest allegations over the ruling party of Trinamul Congress at Chopra village in the North Dinajpur district, West Bengal on May 14, 2018. AFP PHOTO

Police personal stand guard as supporters of BJP block the National Highway 31 during a protest allegations over the ruling party of Trinamul Congress at Chopra village in the North Dinajpur district, West Bengal on May 14, 2018. AFP PHOTO

Amid reports of massive violence during West Bengal Panchayat elections, senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien slammed those ‘deliberately trying to foment trouble’.

In a series of tweets, O'Brien questioned the ‘‘newborn' experts on Bengal Panchayat Elections’ and talked about the history violence in the state.

Recalling the 90s, O'Brien said that around 400 people were killed in poll violence under CPM rule in the state.

The Trinamool lawmaker then compared the numbers to the period of 2003, when there were 40 deaths in the state.

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‘Every death is a tragedy. Now closer to normal than earlier times.Yes, few dozen incidents. Say,40 out of 58000 booths. What's %age (sic),’ O'Brien said on Twitter.

He blamed the BJP and the Left for the clashes. He, in fact, went on saying that the Opposition parties in the state were ‘ganging up with Maoists to kill/shoot/stab three Trinamool workers in different incidents in Bengal today.’‏

The ruling Trinamool Congress also claimed that rumours were being spread about the scale of violence in the state. The party also alleged that BSF men were interfering in polling in Dakshin Dinajpur and other border districts.

Meanwhile, four people were killed and several others injured in violence during the single phase panchayat elections in West Bengal, which recorded over 41 per cent polling till 1 pm, officials said.

The four were killed in separate incidents of violence in North 24 Parganas, Nadia, South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad districts.

"There are reports of three people being killed in North 24 Parganas, Nadia and South 24 Parganas districts," a senior official of the State Election Commission (SEC) said.

In North Dinajpur district, three crude bombs were found near a polling booth at Galaisura, around three km from district headquarter Raiganj, police said.

Of the three bombs, two were found on railway tracks, affecting movement of trains, RPF sources said, adding that the bomb squad has been informed.

In Birbhum, masked men carrying weapons and sticks were seen intimidating voters outside some of the booths.

Television footage from Basanti block of South 24 Parganas district showed masked gunmen roaming outside polling stations.

In the Bhangar area of the same district, police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a mob following clashes there, the SEC official said, adding that the police were asked to submit a report regarding the incident.

In Keshpur area of West Midnapore district, police resorted to lathi-charge and chased people who were allegedly trying to intimidate voters.

After a protracted legal battle in the Kolkata High Court and the Supreme Court involving the SEC, the TMC and the opposition parties, the three-tier panchayat polls is being held in the state.

(With PTI inputs)