BIJNOR: Adding to the poll buzz, a swarm of bees attacked Congress candidates Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Omwati Devi at the nomination centre on Monday.Supporters came to their rescue and suffered wounds. It should be noted that a week ago, six police officials were attacked by the bees. Despite a beehive being located very close to the collectorate and the authorities being aware that the bees might end up causing fear among the candidates arriving here to file nomination papers, no action was taken to get it removed.Honey bees have been wreaking havoc since March 18 when the nomination process started. Honey bees stung seven police personnel, including one sub inspector who was hospitalized. However, he recovered after receiving the treatment.The attack caused panic among the nominees and their supporters. Political leaders also raised the issue and demanded that all the beehives should be removed from the area.According to people present at the venue, honey bees attacked when Naseemuddin and Omwati filed their nomination papers and came out of the office. The attack was so fierce that former IAS officer RK Singh and his wife Omwati had to take a different route. Some people even tried to light fire to scare away the bees, but to no avail. Naseemuddin later confirmed about the bee attack.Earlier, superintendent of police (rural) Vishvajeet Srivastava admitted that some police personnel were also stung by the bees. “We are trying our best to remove the beehive from the venue.”Rupesh Kumar, a Bijnor resident, said, “It is lapse in security that police did not pay attention to such a large beehive, which is on a tree just outside DM office.”February, March and April are the breeding season for the bees as flowers are in abundance and they have plenty of food to feed their larva . When they sense any danger, they attack the intruders.

Stay updated with all the Meerut Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.