Convoy attack: Seven held, FIR on BJP leader - FIRs have been drawn up, including one against Rakesh Singh of BJP, for allegedly provoking crowds at Sirakhol and Debipur

The BJP had claimed at least 17 cars and 127 bikes had been damaged and 35 bikes could not be found in the aftermath of the attack in Shirakol

A damaged windscreen of a car in Nadda’s convoy : Telegraph picture

Kinsuk Basu   |   TT   |   Calcutta   |    12.12.20  :  Police have arrested seven persons for allegedly attacking with bricks and stones the convoy of BJP national president J.P. Nadda while he was on his way to attend a rally at Diamond Harbour in South 24-Parganas on Thursday.

Three FIRs have been drawn up, including one against BJP leader Rakesh Singh, for allegedly provoking crowds at Sirakhol and Debipur on Thursday. The two other FIRs were lodged against “unknown persons”.

Singh, a 48-year-old former Congress leader from the Kidderpore area had contested the 2016 Assembly polls from Calcutta Port as a Left-backed candidate. He joined the BJP before the Lok Sabha polls last year. He has cases of arson, rioting and extortion pending against him.

Last year, Singh was arrested by Calcutta police in connection with the vandalism at Vidyasagar College, where a group of outsiders barged into the north Calcutta college while a BJP procession led by then party chief Amit Shah was passing by and smashed a bust of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar.

Soon after the vandalism, a video footage showing a man resembling Singh urging BJP supporters to attend Shah’s rally with sticks went viral. Singh had said the video had been doctored.

“The FIRs are under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting and obstructing public servants from discharging public duties,” a police source said while explaining the case related to the attack on Nadda’s convoy.

Senior officers from  the Diamond Harbour district police said four persons had been arrested from Usthi and three others from Falta after the police had lodged suo motu complaints. “We are trying to find out more about the alleged attackers and more arrests are likely,” said a senior officer of the Diamond Harbour police district.

Within an hour of the arrests, the district police bosses submitted a report to the home secretary underlining the arrangements that had been made for Nadda’s public meeting at Diamond Harbour and his journey from Calcutta on Thursday. The report was later handed over to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

At least 350 police personnel of different ranks, including deputy superintendents of police and inspectors, were detailed along the entire route of Nadda’s journey, sources in the know about the report’s content said. He was “covered” by a group of over 20 CRPF personnel and provided with a bullet-proof vehicle in keeping with his Z-category security, said a source.

The report mentions except for Shirakol, the convoy was not stopped at any other location despite several people standing along the way with black flags and placards to protest new farm laws.

The report also mentions that the alleged attack at Shirakol on Thursday afternoon lasted for about 15 minutes and the situation was brought under control effectively following intervention by the police. The situation could have otherwise spiralled out of control, the officers said.

The BJP had claimed at least 17 cars and 127 bikes had been damaged and 35 bikes could not be found in the aftermath of the attack in Shirakol.