Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers were injured – one of them in firing from police revolver – in Gurap area of Hooghly district. Trinamool Congress and BJP workers got into violent clashes on Wednesday night to Thursday morning in the area, which later led to the police being attacked by BJP supporters. The BJP alleged that police attacked their party workers because they were chanting “Jai Shree Ram”.
Sukhendu Heera, police superintendent of Hooghly district however, told the media that a local resident was asked by the police to move a two-wheeler which was parked in a narrow lane. This led to altercation and a large number of people gathered and attacked the police.
BJP local leaders claimed that the party had taken out a procession where chants of “Jai Shree Ram” had enraged the police. The BJP leaders said that right after a procession last night, local Trinamool workers had attacked them, which led to violent clashes. A BJP supporter was injured in police firing, he said. “We were to submit a memorandum to the police this morning, but we were attacked by the Trinamool Congress men again,” a local BJP leader said.
However, Heera said that there were attempts by a group of people to snatch the police’s revolver and a gunshot got fired accidentally and injured a person in the commotion. He is admitted to the hospital and out of danger. Two police vehicles were set on fire by the mob, and a pitched battle was fought on Thursday morning.
The Trinamool Congress leadership said that the entire matter was not political but had to do with personal enmity. “No TMC worker was involved in the incident,” a local leader said.
Clashes between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have been going on across West Bengal since the Lok Sabha election results were announced on May 23. The violence has been maximum in North 24 Parganas’ Bhatpara, under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat. There have been constant clashes here from the time Trinamool Congress’ lawmaker from the area Arjun Singh joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls on being denied a party ticket. He was later fielded by the BJP from Barrackpore and he went on to win it. Violence has been reported also from Basirhat in North 24 Paraganas among other areas of Bengal.
