BJP MLAs, leaders protest attack on Jalpaiguri MP

They have also accused the police of playing 'mute spectators' and trained guns at Trinamul for allegedly trying to prevent BJP supporters from returning home

BJP leaders on the premises of the Siliguri police commissioner’s office on Saturday.: Passang Yolmo

TT Bureau   |   Siliguri, Jalpaiguri   | 13.06.21: BJP leaders of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, including  legislators, on Saturday protested against Friday’s attack on Jayanta Roy, the BJP MP of Jalpaiguri.

The BJP leaders have also accused the police of playing “mute spectators” and trained guns at Mamata Banerjee’s ruling party for allegedly trying to prevent BJP supporters from returning home even a month-and-a-half after Trinamul’s massive poll victory.

On Friday, when Roy was escorting a group of around 12 people of the minority community, who happen to be BJP supporters, back to their homes at Bhandarigach village in Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri, the MP and some other party leaders were thrashed in the village.

The MP, admitted to Siliguri’s North Bengal Medical College & Hospital with two of his aide, later said that a group of about 100 people attacked them while they were escorting home these persons who had fled after being attacked by Trinamul supporters in the wake of Assembly poll results.

Roy blamed Trinamul squarely for Friday’s attack too, which local Trinamul leaders denied and blamed the BJP’s own infighting.

On Saturday, a delegation of the BJP comprising party leaders of Siliguri and MLAs Shankar Ghosh and Shikha Chatterjee went to the office of the commissioner of Siliguri Metropolitan Police and submitted a memorandum.

Ghosh, the new Siliguri MLA of the BJP, alleged that the attack was pre-planned. The police team, escorting the MP and the supporters, had stopped a few metres away, and soon the attack on them occurred, he pointed out.  

“Trinamul is trying to stop our party supporters from entering their homes. Hundreds of them are still staying in camps. The police and the administration should take proper steps to ensure their security. Also, whatever has happened on Friday clearly shows the desperation of a section of Trinamul cadres who even attacked and assaulted an MP,” said Ghosh, the Siliguri MLA.

In Jalpaiguri, BJP supporters, led by district party chief Bapi Goswami, demonstrated in front of the Kotwali police station. “In recent years, this is the first time in north Bengal that an MP has been assaulted by supporters of another political party. If steps are not taken against the attackers, it would send a wrong message and encourage the perpetrators,” said Goswami.

Sources at New Jalpaiguri police station said a probe is on.

“A person has been detained in connection with the incident. We are in search of some others,” said an officer.

(Courtesy & source- https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/bjp-mlas-leaders-protest-attack-on-jalpaiguri-mp/cid/1818656)