On Sunday (September 11), a BJP rally was attacked in Sitalkuchi in the Coochbehar district of West Bengal allegedly by TMC supporters. The purpose of the rally was to mobilise people for BJP’s upcoming campaign ‘Nabanna Abhijyan‘, which is scheduled to be held on September 13 this year.
As per reports, BJP was conducting a march to protest against the Mamata Banerjee-led-government in the state. When the rally reached the Sitalkuchi Bazar, the BJP workers came under a volley of stones.
Multiple crude bombs were hurled, the splinters of which left several protestors injured. The incident created a sense of unrest and panic in the area. Following the targeted attack, the BJP workers regrouped to continue with their protest march.
Instead of taking action against the attackers, the police stopped the BJP workers from protesting against the TMC government under the guise of law and order. While speaking about the matter, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said, “The incident proves again that ‘jungle raj’ is prevailing in West Bengal and police are mute spectators.”
Although The Telegraph had claimed that no injured BJP workers needed hospitalisation, a report by The Free Press Journal said that 2 BJP workers were admitted to a district hospital.
BJP MLA Malata Rava Roy said, “We were holding a peaceful rally but it was disrupted by the TMC. It seems that being in the opposition is a crime in Bengal.”
Trinamool Congress cries foul
The TMC alleged that the BJP itself orchestrated the attack to get public attention. TMC has meanwhile dismissed the allegations levelled against them. The party has claimed that BJP staged the attack through ‘outsiders.’
TMC MP Ssantanau Sen said, “It’s an excuse… there are no people in their rallies so they are alleging all this to stay in the limelight.” He further alleged, “TMC does not need to attack the BJP rally, as they’re a self-destructive party. TMC doesn’t have anything to do with it. We don’t instigate, they do.”
Udayan Guha, the TMC lawmaker from Dinhata, also said, “We were busy with Abhishek Banerjee’s public meeting in Malbazar. Why should we foment trouble in Sitalkuchi?”
When TMC goons attacked CISF personnel during the 2021 elections in Sitalkuchi
In April last year, in Sitalkuchi, a TMC mob attacked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) during the fourth phase of elections in West Bengal after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee asked her followers to gherao the central forces.
As per reports, the incident took place at the Jorpatki area of the Mathabhanga block in the Sitalkuchi Legislative Assembly of Cooch Behar district. Cooch Behar SP defended the CISF action against the lumpen elements, saying that the action was an act of self-defence.
He said that a mob of 300-350 men had attacked the CISF team and tried to snatch their arms which forced the team to open fire on the miscreants. Four people died after central forces opened fire at a polling booth in self-defence.
