Kolkata, Dec 13 Workers of the Trinamool Congress have been accused of brutally assaulting a BJP booth president with the butt of a gun in West Bengal’s Canning area, an incident that took place on Friday night at Dharmatala village under the Gopalpur Panchayat in South 24 Parganas district, police said on Saturday.
The injured BJP leader has been identified as Shankar Mandal. He is stated to be in critical condition and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata. The Canning police station has launched an investigation into the incident.
According to local sources, a BJP meeting was held a few days ago in Dharmatala village, led by booth president Shankar Mandal. During the meeting, he reportedly had a minor altercation with local Trinamool Congress leaders. On Friday, Mandal again visited the village to hold another party meeting. It is alleged that during this visit, Trinamool Congress workers attacked him and brutally beat him, including with the butt of a gun.
Other BJP workers present at the spot rescued the injured leader and rushed him to the Baruipur Sub-Divisional Hospital for initial treatment. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata. Subsequently, he was admitted to a private hospital, where he continues to receive treatment.
The BJP strongly condemned the incident and squarely blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress. Biswanath Patra, vice-president of the BJP’s Joynagar organisational district, said: "On Friday night, one of our booth presidents was beaten up by miscreants of the ruling party in Dharmatala village. Not only that, he was brutally attacked with shovels and the butt of a gun. He is seriously injured and is currently undergoing treatment at a private nursing home. He is virtually fighting for his life."
The Trinamool Congress, however, has denied the allegations. Saokat Molla, Trinamool Congress MLA from Canning East, said: "No one from the ruling party is involved in this incident. This is an internal conflict within the BJP. The police administration should conduct a proper investigation, arrest those responsible and ensure exemplary punishment. The BJP’s support base is slipping, which is why they are making false allegations."
Canning Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ramkumar Mandal said that a written complaint has been lodged at the Canning police station by the victim. “An investigation has been initiated based on the complaint. The probe is currently at a preliminary stage, and we are hopeful that those involved in the incident will be arrested at the earliest,” he said.
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