The offenders dragged Patra out of the car and beat him up. Banerjee and Singh too were attacked. BJP leaders also alleged that police had acted as mute spectators
Spates of violence continued across West Bengal on Friday — the fifth day of submitting nominations for panchayat elections.
At Bankura district, as a BJP delegation comprising district BJP president Vivekananda Patra, party state general secretaries Raju Banerjee and Sanjay Singh were about to enter the Sub Divisional Office (SDO) of the district to demand a violence-free election, a group of miscreants — allegedly TMC cadres — attacked their vehicle. The offenders dragged Patra out of the car and beat him up. Banerjee and Singh too were attacked. BJP leaders also alleged that police had acted as mute spectators.
At Raghunathganj in Murshidabad, too, it has been alleged that TMC workers had pelted stones at a BJP rally injuring at least nine BJP workers and a photojournalist. BJP workers had put up a rally to reach the BDO office to submit the nomination of BJP's Raghunathganj candidate when the attack took place. It has also been alleged that TMC workers had cordoned off the area to prevent the injured to be hospitalised. RAF has been pressed in to bring situation under control.
Violence has also been reported near the BDO office of Chandrakona in West Midnapore district between BJP and TMC workers. Members of both the groups started gathering in front of the BDO office to submit their nomination forms and they kept of chanting slogans against each other which sparked a tension. Later, the two groups started hurling stones at each other injured a number of members of both groups. Police have been posted in the area to avoid any further tension.
Haldibari TMC MLA Argha Roy Pradhan, however, brushed aside all allegations. "They are saying these because they are unable to find any candidate to pitch," he maintained.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, after hoisting the party flag at the BJP headquarters in Kolkata on the occasion of the party's foundation day said that BJP workers have started following the policy of 'tit for tat.
"Since day before yesterday we have started paying them back in their own coin. We would not respect those police and administrative officers who are biased and have no respect for the constitution. As soon as their workers have started getting beaten up, senior TMC leaders have gone to the Governor to complain about us," Ghosh said.
The situation is tense at Jalpaiguri district as well. At about 11 am at Tunabari area in Malbazar, a BJP party office had been razed and their workers beaten up. BJP workers too had retaliated after a while and administration had to press in police and RAF personnel to bring situation under control. BJP district president Debashish Chakraborty said, "Haldibari BDO office has been taken over by TMC goons. We had taken nomination forms but were unable to submit those. They are checking every vehicle towards the BDO office and are barring entry to any BJP candidate there." He also alleged that after they complained to the Returning Officer, he expressed his helplessness.
Tourism minister and senior TMC leader Gautam Deb too, echoed similar emotions. "TMC workers had nowhere prevented BJP to file nominations. Do we have to take responsibility of finding candidates for them?" he said.
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