Case against BJP’s Roopa Ganguly for assaulting woman voter

Kolkata, April 25 (IANS) A police case was registered against the BJP's star candidate Roopa Ganguly on Monday for assaulting a woman voter and preventing her from casting her ballot in the West Bengal assembly elections, a police officer said.

"A case has been registered in Malipanchghara police station against the BJP's North Howrah candidate Roopa Ganguly for assaulting a voter, Soma Das, and preventing her for casting her vote," said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma.

Ganguly earlier faced angry protests and heckling by alleged Trinamool Congress activists in her constituency during the fourth phase of the assembly polls.

The actress-turned politician alleged "rampant booth capturing" and voter intimidation by Trinamool goons in her constituency.

"Since morning, I have been getting complaints of our voters being intimidated and polling agents being assaulted and driven out of the booths. When I tried to intervene and asked the polling officials to intervene, Trinamool goons surrounded and bad-mouthed me," said Ganguly.

During her visit to one of the booths in Salkia, the actress faced noisy protests with many of them accusing her of forcing her way into the booth and disrupting the poll process. In the midst of the arguments, Ganguly was seen slapping Soma Das.

"All these protests and heckling are being done with the single motive of preventing me from reaching out to the booths. Even police are sending central security forces after me to ensure that the booths remain unmanned and the Trinamool can cast false votes," she said, adding that the BJP would file a complaint with the Election Commission (EC).

Ganguly was unperturbed even after she was told of the police case against her.

"I have been told a police case has been registered against me. But nothing has been done against those who abused and heckled me -- a candidate -- and (those who) indulged in electoral malpractices."

Rejecting her charges, Trinamool Congress candidate and retired cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla in turn accused Ganguly of influencing voters.

"Voting has been peaceful and there is no report of any malpractices. In fact, it's she who is trying to influence voters and disrupting the poll process. The party has initiated a complaint against her with the EC," said Shukla.

Roopa Ganguly became a household name in the country in the 1980s and 1990s for playing the role of Draupadi in B.R. Chopra's tele-serial "Mahabharat".

She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party last year.