On Sunday, a clash reportedly broke out between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in the Haldibari area of Halisahar city in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Amidst the scuffle, the car of Arjun Singh, the BJP MP from Barrackpore, and his security guards were vandalised.
As per the report, several bikes and the party office of Trinamool Congress was set ablaze. The fire service was called in to douse the fire. During the violent clash, people from both sides sustained injuries. On receiving information about the incident, the police reached the spot and brought the situation under control. “There was chaos in the area. Both sides are accusing each other. We are investigating the matter. The situation is now under control,” Barrackpore District Commissioner (South) Ajay Thakur was quoted as saying.
BJP MP Arjun Singh’s vehicle vandalised by unknown persons while he was attending a meeting at Halisahar. Singh claims it was TMC’s handiwork. However, the party rules out the allegations. pic.twitter.com/kb29XSq8xn
— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) July 5, 2020
Arjun Singh accuses TMC
Reportedly, the BJP MP had visited the house of Raja Dutta, the former deputy Pradhan, on Sunday night in the Haldibari area. Arjun Singh was accompanied by other party leaders and workers. Locals informed that the chaos began at around 8 pm at the Haldibari junction. Reportedly, several cars were vandalised during the chaos.
Locals rushed indoors and shut their houses to protect themselves from coming in the line of fire. Arjun Singh had alleged that his car and that of his security guards’ was damaged by TMC workers. He claimed that the mob was led by TMC politician Subodh Adhikari. “His men attacked us in front of the police,” the BJP MP remarked.
TMC makes counter-claims
The Trinamool Congress had alleged that the scuffle broke out after the car of Subodh Adhikari was vandalised. According to Naihati MLA Partha Bhowmik, Adhikari was returning home from Naihati to Halisahar when his car was supposedly stopped and attacked by BJP workers in the Haldibari area. He further claimed that the security guard of Arjun Singh had assaulted the people accompanying Adhikari.
“Arjun’s car was vandalised by the agitated local people,” he claimed. TMC Minister Jyotipriya Mallick said that BJP was playing with the politics of violence and had set their party office on fire.
Arjun Singh alleges assassination attempt
Earlier, in a letter to the West Bengal Governor, Arjun Singh had alleged that the Joint Commissioner of Police Ajay Thakur attempted to assassinate him and his family on May 14 on the pretext of cross-firing under the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Arjun Singh said that the police officer came with 35 persons, and 2 of them are renowned miscreants.
He alleged that those two persons had pointed their guns aiming towards him from a distance, but they didn’t fire. “I have never been afraid to die. In the upcoming days, such officers of Mamata Banerjee will be punished under the law”, he was quoted as saying.
