A regional party in the north-east Indian state of West Bengal with seven members of parliament has temporarily withdrawn support from the coalition government in Delhi.

The leader of the Trinamul Congress party in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, said that support was being withdrawn in protest over the failure of the coalition government, to provide adequate security provision during local council elections yesterday Three people were killed in clashes between rival groups of supporters the night before the elections and Miss Banerjee said that fifty people died in violence in the run-up to elections.