On Saturday, February 25, MoS Home Nisith Parmanik’s convoy was attacked in the Dinhata area in the Cooch Behar district in West Bengal. The Union Minister was on his way to the BJP’s local office when the attack happened. He alleged that the attack was carried out by Trinamool Congress-backed supporters.
#WATCH | West Bengal: The convoy of Nisith Pramanik, MoS Home & Youth Affairs and Sports was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress-backed goons when he was going to meet with the party workers in Coochbehar’s Dinhata area. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/eXWqt7U2K9
— ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2023
The TMC supporters allegedly threw stones at the minister’s car and cracked the front windshield. Black flags were also shown to the minister.
“My convoy was not only pelted with stones but also shots were fired. Bombs were also hurled. The entire incident happened in front of the police, and they were just mute spectators,” Pramanik alleged, adding that the TMC was sheltering the attackers.
Taking to Twitter the Union Minister said, “The attack on me by the TMC goons is an attack on democracy. The entire nation is watching how democracy is being crippled by TMC sponsored & supported terrorism. It is a proof of the complete failure of law and order in the state of West Bengal. Shame! #bengalviolence.”
The attack on me by the TMC goons is an attack on democracy. The entire nation is watching how democracy is being crippled by TMC sponsored & supported terrorism. It is a proof of the complete failure of law and order in the state of West Bengal. Shame! #bengalviolence
— Nisith Pramanik (@NisithPramanik) February 25, 2023
“If a central minister’s car is attacked in this manner, then think about the security of the common people in the state,” Bengal BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said, adding that the Governor should initiate steps to impose Article 355 in the state.
Responding to the allegation, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh accused the Bengal BJP leadership of “instigating” its workers to disrupt the “peaceful” atmosphere of the state.
“The BJP workers ransacked the TMC party office in Dinhata and attacked our workers. The people in that area are angry over the BSF’s killing of a Rajbanshi youth last year. Pramanik is a minister of that department,” he said.
Mos Home Nisith Parmanik’s convoy attacked in West Bengal with stones and sticks
Notably, Pramanik’s convoy was attacked in November last year in the Sitai area of Cooch Behar. Speaking to the media, minister Nisith Parmanik had then stated that the route for his convoy was mapped by the state police and asked how could his convoy be under such threat. He added that the miscreants carrying sticks and stones were gathered despite the police presence. “BJP workers won’t sit quiet when their minister is attacked in front of them”, he added.
However, the Bengal police have claimed that the scuffle broke out because the minister’s supporters argued with the people holding black flags. Coochbehar SP has stated that the minister had about 50 bike riders accompanying him and a scuffle broke out between the supporters on bikes and the people carrying black flags.
