KOLKATA: Supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and opposition BJP clashed with each other at Girish Park, hardly three kms away from the Brigade Parade Ground, on Saturday afternoon when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to address the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra rally.
More than 30 supporters belonging to both belligerent parties have sustained injuries during the pitch-battle between the two groups.
The residence of the minister Sashi Panja in Mamata Banerjee's cabinet along the CR Avenue connecting the nearby Girish Park crossing in central Kolkata was also damaged, allegedly by the Brigade Parade Ground-bound BJP supporters.
Bappaditya Naskar, officer-in-charge (OC) of nearby Bowbazar police station, was also injured during the incident.
Panja, while speaking to reporters on the spot, claimed, “It was a preplanned attack of BJP on our party workers. The BJP hooligans, who are mostly from Bihar, didn’t spare my residence. They pelted stones targeting my residence, damaging windows and doors. I was also injured by them. Many of our injured party workers took shelter in my residence.”
“There was no provocation from anyone in our party. BJP attacked our men when the latter were putting up flexes carrying ‘boycott’ slogan against the saffron party. The BJP hooligans came out of bus bound for their party rally and attacked our men,” the minister, who is a MLA of the nearby Shyampukur constituency, alleged.
Huge police forces have been deployed in front of the minister’s residence.
The trouble started around 1 pm when the private bus of route number 234 carrying BJP supporters was allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress men at Girish Park along C R Avenue.
BJP workers alleged that the Trinamool Congress men, armed with sticks, suddenly attacked them and threw stones at the bus, damaging its window screens.
The ruling party workers also prevented them from going to Brigade Parade Ground in front of police personnel, the driver of the bus alleged.
In retaliation, BJP workers went on a rampage, allegedly targeting the Trinamool Congress minister’s residence, where she was during the incident, and her party workers.
The entire Girish Park turned into a battlefield for more than one and a half hours till 2.30 pm, minutes before the Prime Minister arrived at the Race Course helipad from the Kolkata airport.
Pieces of bricks, stones, and small concrete chunks were found lying scattered on the road and adjoining lanes in the area.
Workers of the two rival groups got involved in direct violence against each other in the heart of the city ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Bengal.
Rapid Action Force (RAF) of Kolkata Police was deployed on the spot to bring the situation under control around 3 pm when Modi was laying foundation stones of several Central Government projects related to road, railway and port in a separate programme beside the dais of the BJP rally.