BJP’s Naqvi, others arrested for trying to enter violence-hit Birbhum village

The BJP leaders were trying to enter the trouble-torn Makra village in Birbhum district.

Police stop the BJP Central team led by party Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to enter violence-hit area of Makra village in Birbhum district of West Bengal on Thursday. (Source: PTI)

Amid high drama, police Thursday arrested several senior BJP leaders, including national vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and state party chief Rahul Sinha, when they tried to enter violence-hit Makra village in Birbhum where section 144 has been imposed since Friday.
Naqvi termed the police action as “death of democracy” and said the “West Bengal government has become a government of terrorists and criminals”.

Naqvi and other BJP leaders, including party MPs Kirti Azad and Udit Raj, also got involved in a brief, but violent spat with police and jawans of RAF at the adjoining Choumandalpur village when the latter told them there has been an order from the “top authority” not to allow any political party inside the village. The leaders wanted to send a three-member central team to the village “without violating the provision of section 144”.

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“Three of our workers were killed here and we want to visit their families. Why are we not allowed inside the village? What is the state government trying to hide? Now, we can understand why we have been forcefully detained. The Bengal government has become a government of terrorists and criminals. There is goonda-ism,” Naqvi said while being taken to Parui police station.

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Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi after his arrest in Birbhum

The BJP leader claimed that he was injured when the police personnel dragged him into the van. “It is murder of democracy. Instead of using its energy to stop opposition parties, the TMC government should have put the police on job to catch the terrorists in the state,” added Kirti Azad.

The leaders were later released on PR bond.

Meanwhile, the ruling Trinamool Congress hit out at the BJP with party MP Abhishek Banerjee accusing the saffron outfit of the October 27 violence at the village. “There are photos of BJP activists carrying on the attacks with party flags,” he said, claiming that all the victims belonged to TMC.

Two separate delegations of CPM and Congress had tried to enter the village Wednesday. They too were arrested and later released.

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