In continuing political violence in the state,a 29-year-old man was killed and 44 people were injured in a clash between supporters of the Jharkhand Disham Party (JDP) and Trinamool Congress at Pursurah in Hooghly this afternoon. The deceased,reportedly a JDP supporter,has not been identified,the police said. Two trucks and a motorbike were set on fire during the clash. According to the police,hundreds of JDP supporters had gathered at Sodepur market near Pursurah alleging that some of their colleagues had been assaulted by Trinamool men last night. A group of Trinamool cadres came to the area,following which an altercation broke out between them and the JDP supporters. Things went out of control when JDP supporters allegedly shot arrows injuring five Trinamool men. In retaliation,local Trinamool men attacked them with canes. Two trucks,in which JDP supporters had arrived,were also set on fire. The motorbike of a CPM supporter,who was present in the area during the clash,was torched. The police arrived at the spot almost an hour later and resorted to lathicharge to stop the clashes. The injured were rushed to hospitals. An injured JDP activist succumbed at the Arambag sub-divisional hospital. Parvez Rehman,local Trinamool Congress leader,said trouble broke out last night after JDP activists tried to plant their party flag on a plot near Sodepur bazar where a Trinamool Congress office is to come up. Some of our men were beaten up by JDP men last night when they resisted them, Rehman claimed. Lakshmi Hansda,JDP district committee leader,however,claimed that his party supporters were beaten up by Trinamool men last night when they resisted attempts of Trinamool workers to forcibly occupy a government plot to set up a party office. We were organising a rally in protest of the attack on us when Trinamool men attacked us killing one of our supporters, he alleged. A police picket has been posted in the area.
