Bullets, bombs fly in TMC-BJP clash

BJP’s Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya promises statewide agitation and demands President's rule

Protesters in Barabani on Saturday.: (Santosh Kr Mandal)

Abhijeet Chatterjee   |   TT   |   Asansol   |   06.12.20  :  Political rivalry between the Trinamul and the BJP took a violent turn in West Burdwan’s Barabani on Saturday when supporters of both the sides fought a pitched battle in which bullets were fired and bombs hurled. 

Six supporters of the saffron camp were injured, including one who suffered a bullet wound.

BJP’s Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya, who rushed to the Durgapur hospital to meet BJP worker Kalicharan Das who received a bullet wound, demanded President’s rule in Bengal saying: “The state has plunged into lawlessness.” 

Vijayvargiya also promised a statewide agitation. 

Ever since the BJP won the Asansol Lok Sabha seat in 2014, both sides have been at loggerheads in a region dominated by coal and sand mafia.

On Saturday morning, around 200 BJP activists assembled at Jamgram village in Barabani to take part in BJP’s statewide “Aar Noi Anyay (No More Injustice)” programme, aimed to take on the Mamata Banerjee government’s “Duare Sarkar” (Government on Doorsteps). Aar Noi Anyay is an outreach of the BJP to reach out to more than a crore families with a leaflet highlighting “corruption and lawlessness in Trinamul regime”. “We had plans to carry out our programme peacefully, but Trinamul goons attacked us,” said BJP West Burdwan district chief Lakshman Ghorui.

According to him, trouble started around 11am when he reached Jamgram. Suddenly a barrage of stones was hurled at BJP supporters, followed by a volley of crude bombs, Ghorui alleged, adding Trinamul supporters also opened fire.

“We called police but they remained silent spectators,” alleged Ghorui. “Kalicharan Das, a BJP activist, received a bullet wound on the chest and is in a hospital in Durgapur.”

Sources said BJP workers also retaliated after a while. As both the sides kept attacking each other for over 30 minutes, a large contingent of police led by ACP (West) Manav Singla brought the situation under control. “Investigations are on. No arrests have been made as of now,” said Singla. 

Trinamul’s Barabani MLA Bidhan Upadhaya blamed the BJP for creating an atmosphere of terror in Bengal. 

“The incident is a result of BJP’s infighting. We are not involved,” said. Trinamul leader and minister Moloy Ghatak also echoed Upadhaya. 

Saturday’s incident left the district administration worried as the clash took place at a time when chief minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to visit the region on December 8.