Taking serious note of the attack on poll officials in Malda of West Bengal today, the Election Commission has directed the district authorities to initiate stern action against the accused and has sought a report of the incident.

Top Commission officials who met here today took serious view of the incident and gave directions to the District Magistrate of Malda to take immediate stern action against the offenders.

It also asked the DM to submit a detailed report of the incident and the action taken to the Commission by this evening.

EC sources said it has received reports of some of its officials being attacked in Malda. Some reports said they were allegedly manhandled by ruling Trinamool Congress workers.

In a recent meeting attended by Deputy EC Vinod Zutshi, poll officials from West Bengal had expressed fear of violence targeting them during the elections.

The EC had taken a serious note of their complaints and the issue had also come up during a meeting of Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and other top EC officials with the state authorities in Kolkata last week, according to the sources.