Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury said that TMC goons led by the nephew of a leader of the Trinamool Congress attacked her car on Friday (October 27) night. The incident reportedly happened near the Milki police outpost area in West Bengal’s Malda district, when the BJP leader was en route from the Manek Chowk constituency after visiting party workers’ homes.
The BJP MLA said that four people on motorcycles targeted her vehicle. She accused the nephew of Juel Siddiqui Rehman, who is a member of the TMC District Council of being behind the attack.
In a video shared by ANI, one can see the rear screen of the BJP MLA’s car smashed.
#WATCH | Siliguri, West Bengal: BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury claims that her car was attacked by TMC goons near the Milki police outpost area last night.
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2023
(Video Source: MLA Office) pic.twitter.com/QzF6vsuLUH
Speaking about the incident, Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury said, “Last night, I visited the homes of party workers in Manek Chowk constituency. At around 10.45 pm, I was returning back from there. In the English Bazar area, a loud noise was heard from the back of the car… We saw that the rear glass of the car was completely smashed… Fortunately, I was not hurt… My security caught two people there. The PSO with me said that 4 people on the bike hit the car, and two of them escaped… Police reached the spot… The father of one of the people caught also came there. His name was Mudassir Rehman. He said that his brother, Juel Siddiqui Rehman, is a member of the District Council… Juel’s brother’s son was one of the attackers, his name is in the report… Juel Siddiqui Rehman is an elected leader of the TMC..,” Chaudhury said.
#WATCH | Siliguri, West Bengal: On alleged attack on her car last night, BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury says, "Last night, I had visited the homes of party workers in Manek Chowk constituency. At around 10.45 pm, I was returning back from there. In the English Bazar area, a… pic.twitter.com/NlMy05wkBJ
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2023
West Bengal has a history of political violence but it has peaked since the Trinamool Congress Party has been in power in the state. NCRB data shows that between 2010 and 2019, West Bengal witnessed the highest number of political killings in India at 161.
In recent years, however, the ruling TMC party workers have shifted their focus to the BJP, which has grown to be the TMC’s main challenge in the state. This year, ahead of the rural panchayat elections, fresh incidents of violence were reported in West Bengal, resulting in six more casualties, bringing the total death toll to 48.
According to the MHA, 693 incidents of violence and 11 deaths were reported during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the state. Even post-elections, as many as 852 cases of political violence were reported from June 1 to December 31, 2019, which led to the deaths of 61 people.
In 2020, the MHA report said, 663 incidents were recorded, in which 57 people were killed.
