Kolkata: North 24 Parganas, a politically charged district in West Bengal, descended into chaos on Sunday night as violent confrontations erupted between
supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The unrest occurred in front of the Jagaddal Police Station, hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile public meeting scheduled for Monday in the very same region.
The conflict ignited over the seemingly minor act of tearing down campaign flags and posters prepared for the Prime Minister’s visit. What began as a dispute over these vital campaign materials quickly spiralled into a full-blown street battle, reportedly involving volleys of stones, crude bomb attacks, and even gunfire, overwhelming local law enforcement efforts to restore order.
BJP activists were quick to accuse TMC cadres of orchestrating the desecration of their party’s campaign paraphernalia near the Jagaddal area. As tensions mounted, supporters from both factions converged at the Jagaddal Police Station, where heated verbal exchanges rapidly escalated into a physical free-for-all, with stone-pelting becoming a significant feature of the clash.
The violence took a perilous turn with a confirmed bombing incident at the residence of BJP MLA Pawan Singh, who is contesting from the Bhatpara Assembly constituency. Crude bombs were hurled at the lawmaker’s home, causing widespread panic among residents and considerable property damage. The clashes left at least three people, along with one CISF officer, who were promptly transported to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
BJP candidate Pawan Kumar Singh, narrating the sequence of events, depicted the Sunday night violence as the culmination of sustained harassment. He claimed that the agitation began the previous day, when TMC members, allegedly led by local councillor Manoj Pandey of Ward 17, disrupted a BJP street corner meeting.
Singh said that after lodging a complaint with the Inspector-in-Charge, promises of action were made. However, the situation intensified on Sunday when BJP workers, engaged in putting up Prime Minister Modi’s posters to welcome him, were met with further disturbance and protests at the police station, he said.
Singh alleged that upon leaving the police station, his group was assaulted with stones, followed by the deployment of country-made bombs. In a grave escalation, Singh claimed that gunfire erupted during the mêlée, resulting in a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel being shot in the left leg.
However, Amit Gupta, the TMC candidate for Bhatpara, offered a different account of the genesis of the conflict, tracing its origins to Ward Achala Bagan. Gupta asserted that his party’s workers were peaceably installing campaign materials when they were intercepted. He further alleged that individuals identified as Guddu and Pintu Singh forcibly assaulted a TMC worker named Bittu and vandalised a local party office. According to Gupta, while his team was present at the police station to formally file a complaint, BJP candidate Arjun Singh arrived with his security detail and purportedly attacked TMC workers within the police station premises.
In the aftermath of the intense clashes, police have registered cases about the bombing incident and the wider confrontations. North 24 Parganas district has been a focal point for intense poll campaigning, attracting a roster of BJP heavyweights, including party national president Nitin Nabin, Prime Minister Modi himself, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The first phase of polling on April 23 across the state had already signalled an extremely active electoral exercise, registering a staggering 92.35 per cent voter turnout amid stringent security measures across constituencies. .The polling for the second phase will be held on April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
