Clashes broke out at an event organised by the BJP in Basirhat, in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Monday, leaving 14 BJP supporters and six policemen injured.
Hundreds of BJP supporters had gathered for the non-cooperation rally organised by the BJP in West Bengal’s Basirhat town, approximately 100 km north of Kolkata.
The event was called by the BJP to protest against the Mamata Banerjee government’s refusal to grant permission to the BJP’s rath-yatras named as Ganatantra Bachao Yatra. The BJP which had approached the Supreme Court against the West Bengal’s government orders has called for a week-long ‘law violation programme’, which started from Monday.
As per reports, few people from the crowd allegedly started throwing brickbats at the police personnel who retaliated by wielding lathis at the BJP supporters. Many BJP supporters and police officers were injured in the conflict.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh, who was present in the program, calling it an unfortunate incident, claimed that the stones were pelted by some ‘outsiders’, who were not associated with his party.
Ghosh said, “We were conducting our program in a peaceful manner, but the police started lathi charge on us without any provocation. Those who pelted stones were external, they have nothing to do with BJP.”
However, Trinamool Congress’ food minister and president of the TMC North 24 Parganas district, Jyotipriya Mullick, claimed that this was a well-planned attack by the BJP workers and Dilip Ghosh should be arrested for inciting violence.
“They are trying to disrupt the peace in the state and BJP workers are responsible for the Monday’s incident. They carried stones in pockets and threw them at the cops. Dilip Ghosh should also be arrested for inciting violence at the spot, Mullick claimed.
The Mamata Banerjee government had denied permission for the Rath Yatras planned by BJP claiming that the yatras will provoke communal violence in the state.