Bengal BJP-Trinamool MLAs come to blows, 5 Opposition MLAs suspended

The West Bengal Assembly today witnessed clashes between legislators of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A Trinamool MLA suffered nose injury and five BJP MLAs were suspended.

Trinamool MLA Asit Majumdar suffered a nose injury and was rushed to the hospital. He alleged that Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, punched him. Adhikari, along with four other BJP legislators have been suspended for the entire year. The five BJP MLAs to be suspended are Suvendu Adhikari, Manoj Tigga, Narahari Mahato, Shankar Ghosh, Dipak Barman.

The clash ensued after BJP demanded that Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee should speak in the House on the state’s law and order situation, particularly with respect to the Rampurhat massacre last week. Eight members of the family – five women and two children – were tortured and burnt to death. The incident is alleged to be a retaliation after a local Trinamool leader Bhadu Sheikh was killed in a crude bomb attack. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now probing the massacre followed by a Calcutta High Court order.

Adhikari alleged that when the Opposition demanded a discussion on the law and order situation in the state, the government brought Kolkata Police personnel in civil clothes and clashed with BJP MLAs. “The MLAs are not safe even inside the assembly. At least 8-10 of our MLAs were beaten up, including chief whip Manoj Tigga, by some Trinamool MLAs,” Adhikari said.

Trinamool leader and minister Firhad Hakim however, said that some Trinamool MLAs were injured inside the House adding, “we condemn the conduct of the BJP”.