KOLKATA: Several policemen were injured on Thursday when supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP clashed with each other in Basanti in South 24 Parganas district of poll-bound West Bengal, even as 480 companies of central paramilitary forces have already been deployed across the state for area domination and confidence-building measures.
Eight persons have been detained by the police in connection with the violence.
The trouble started when BJP-nominated candidate Bikash Sardar from the Basanti Assembly constituency was campaigning in the area along with his party supporters.
A group of ruling party workers videographed the event, prompting saffron party supporters to prevent them from recording.
A heated argument soon escalated into a physical confrontation between the two rival groups.
A huge police force rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. Local BJP leaders alleged that Trinamool workers were preventing them from organising campaign activities for their candidate in the area and had blocked the road so that the BJP’s procession could not proceed.
Trinamool supporters, however, alleged that BJP workers led by Sardar unleashed terror and attacked common people with bamboo sticks.
Several policemen sustained injuries during the clash. Basanti is one of the politically sensitive Assembly constituencies in Bengal during elections.
Locals in the area have raised questions, claiming that the situation could have been prevented if the central forces had been deployed in time.
An adequate number of central forces have been allotted for South 24 Parganas district soon after the announcement of poll dates in Bengal.
Forces are not being utilised by the administration when they are required during violence, they alleged.
South 24 Parganas will go to the polls on 29 April.