Clashes erupted in Bengal's Bhatpara again after the BJP delegation left; reports of bombs being hurled surfaced, while the police were seen resorting to aggressive lathicharges to contain violence, sources said.
Following the visit of the 3-member BJP delegation to Bhatpara in West Bengal intending to investigate reports of violence against its party workers, the area was lit up with reports of bloodied assault once again.
Clashes resumed once again shortly after the BJP delegation left. Reports say that the locals started agitating and protesting against the police. Allegedly, the police started resorting to aggressive lathicharges soon after this, and due to which, a number of people suffered injuries. The police claimed that Section 144 of CrPC was in effect. Despite that, the people were agitating in large groups. Therefore, active disciplinary action was needed to bring the situation under control, said the police.
Reports of bombs being hurled also surfaced.
The three-member BJP delegation comprising of MPs SS Ahluwalia, Satpal Singh, and BD Ram, was sent to look into the reports of violence against party workers in the northern outskirts of the city has now reached Bhatpara in West Bengal and are meeting the family of the deceased.
Slogans of "Bengal police haaye haaye! (shame, shame!) Mamata Banerjee haaye haaye!" were heard to be raised during the visit of the BJP delegation.
#WATCH West Bengal: Slogans of "Bengal Police haye haye! Mamata Banerjee haye haye!" raised during the visit of BJP delegation to Bhatpara, North 24 Parganas district. pic.twitter.com/gVV3WoWgsl
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2019
The police, while escorting them, were seen to be resorting to lathicharge to remove locals from the spot.
#WATCH West Bengal: Police use baton to remove locals from the spot in Bhatpara in North 24 Parganas, as a BJP delegation visits the area. pic.twitter.com/wyE7vdJOq6
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2019
Read on for details.
1. 3-member BJP delegation visited Bhatpara to investigate violence against party workers
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A crowd had started to gather from the moment after the delegation, led by SS Ahluwalia, had reached the area, following which the three BJP MPs were led by Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh to meet the family of the deceased.
Ahluwalia said that the unfortunate incidents of violence were only occurring in West Bengal. "Union Home Minister Amit Shah is immensely saddened by the violence in Bhatpara. We will talk to the concerned persons and submit a report to him," he added.
While Ahluwalia is an MP from the state, the other two members - Singh and Ram - are former police officers besides being MP from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand respectively.
2. Bengal's Bhatpara: A virtual warzone
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Bhatpara had virtually turned into a warzone following the violent incident earlier, and the police had to rush RAF and combat force to bring the situation under control.
The West Bengal police have said that they are investigating the reasons behind the deaths while claiming that the police personnel had only fired in the air to quell violence.
3. The police use batons for hooligans and bullets for innocents: BJP's SS Ahluwalia
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After meeting with the families of the deceased, SS Ahluwalia claimed that the police shot Rambabu Shaw (17) and Dharamveer Shaw (49). 'It's unfortunate. The families of small vendors are finished," he said.
In reaction to the police's claim, Ahluwalia today said, "The police shot them. They had held a press conference and said that they resorted to aerial firing. But if they did that, how did it enter the bodies of people?"
SS Ahluwalia: A 17-yr-old boy was shot when he going to purchase something. Police shot him in his head from point blank range. A vendor was shot&died on spot. A third is in hospital. 7 people were shot. Police use batons for hooligans&bullets for innocents. It should be inquired https://t.co/nIbo2WSRIT
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2019
4. State government trying to control situation
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Taking cognizance of the matter, the West Bengal government had earlier shunted out the Barrackpore Police Commissioner to control the situation.
Former Barrackpore Police Commissioner Tanmay Roy Chowdhury was replaced by Manoj Verma who was earlier posted as IG Darjeeling.
The clashes in Bhatpara, which comes under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, are being seen as political moves between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress to establish dominance in the state.
