Cops halt Ghosh trip after TMC protest

Trinamul workers protest against Ghosh at Harinchawra near Cooch Behar on Wednesday. Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

TT, Cooch Behar: Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had to face protests of Trinamul supporters and was stopped by police while he was heading to Sitalkuchi near here.

He had plans to visit people of Sitalkuchi and speak at a BJP meeting. However, because of consistent protests by Trinamul and the police's objections, he was forced to return to Cooch Behar.

Around 10.20am, Ghosh, along with BJP leaders of Cooch Behar, started for Sitalkuchi from the district party office. As his vehicle reached Harinchawra, around 5km from here, the police stopped them.

Soon, a group of Trinamul supporters arrived on the site. Wielding party flags, they shouted against Ghosh and accused him of trying to foment tension in the district.

The BJP workers, who were accompanying Ghosh, also took out party flags and raised slogans. The rush hour traffic along the Dinhata-Cooch Behar road came to a halt during the protest.

Last month, Ghosh had faced demonstrations and sloganeering while visiting the Darjeeling hills.

Wednesday's standoff continued for over one-and-a-half hours and then Ghosh returned to Cooch Behar.

"Trinamul leaders fear us. That is why they are using police and cadres to prevent us from visiting remote areas of the state. In Sitalkuchi, they had attacked some BJP workers. We were going to meet them and had plans to hold a workers' meeting. But we were stopped from carrying our basic political activities by the police," said Ghosh.

North Bengal development minister Rabindranath Ghosh said the police had stopped Ghosh because there was an apprehension of breach of peace.