BJP workers, cops injured in clashes during twin protests

“We had organised a peaceful demonstration. The police, without any provocation, lathicharged us. I have sustained a head injury. District BJP president Subhra Roy Chowdhury has also been critically injured. One of our workers, Chandan Das, has received a bullet injury. Over 200 party workers have been injured and 35 are in a serious condition,” said Tiwari, while claiming that Trinamool Congress workers were also involved in the attack along with the police.

Inspector in-charge of Raiganj police station, Gautam Chakraborty, however, said around 5,000 BJP workers blocked the Raiganj-Balurghat state highway in Karnojora area of the district and started pelting stones at passing vehicles.

The police reportedly responded by lathicharging the agitators in a bid to disperse them. In return, the BJP protesters hurled bricks at them, injuring Chakraborty.

Following this, police claimed they had fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.

The party supporters staged a similar “law violation programme” in front of the SDO office at Basirhat in North 24 Parganas. It was led by state party president Dilip Ghosh and BJP MLA Samik Bhattacharya.

Party workers gathered in front of the SDO office and broke barricades put up by the police. Following this, the police resorted to lathicharge.

“The police could not imagine so many people will come here today… that they would not be able to arrest them… so, they lathicharged us. Our state president has been injured,” Bhattacharya said.

Here, too, police claimed BJP supporters had started a brick battle. Bhattacharya, however, said: “There were many TV cameras recording the incident. Can you show me any footage where BJP supporters are seen pelting stones? The policemen are making up these stories to defend themselves.”

“The people of the state want freedom from the misrule of the Trinamool Congress and that is why they are participating in law violation programmes of the BJP,” Ghosh said. At least 30 BJP supporters were detained while seven policemen suffered minor injuries, police said. Later, the detainees were released.

Another procession, which started from Deshapriya Park in Kolkata reached the South 24 Parganas DM’s office at Alipore, where an effigy of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was burnt.

Some BJP workers, including Bengal co-observor Sidharth Nath Singh, were injured in a lathicharge by the police during a law-violation programme in North 24-Parganas district last week, a claim the police had denied. BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, last week, had vowed to “intensify” the party’s campaign against the Trinamool regime and said the party will not stop until TMC was voted out of power in next year’s assembly polls.
(PTI INPUTS)