1. Clash between TMC and BJP supporters in Dinhata, West Bengal, injures several individuals, including police.
2. Udayan Guha of TMC and Nisith Pramanik, BJP’s Union Minister, both present, accuse each other of provoking violence.
3. Incident marks the first clash between rival parties in West Bengal since the announcement of Lok Sabha elections.
Kolkata, March 20: Several individuals, including police personnel, sustained injuries in a clash between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters in Dinhata town, Cooch Behar district, West Bengal, on Tuesday night.
Both Udayan Guha, TMC’s Dinhata legislator, and Nisith Pramanik, the BJP’s Cooch Behar Lok Sabha member and Union Minister of State for Home, admitted their presence during the clash and blamed each other for inciting violence.
This incident marks the first clash between the rival parties in West Bengal since the announcement of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.
The clash resulted in the damage of several shops, and a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) sustained a head injury while attempting to disperse the party workers.
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In response, TMC announced a 24-hour bandh in Dinhata and initiated an agitation outside the local police station demanding Guha’s arrest.
The Election Commission of India has requested a report on the incident.
Pramanik, campaigning for himself, claimed that Guha’s followers attacked his supporters unprovoked. He accused Guha of inciting violence and intimidating the local business community supporting BJP.
Guha countered the allegations, stating that he was returning from a birthday event when Pramanik’s convoy arrived and initiated the attack without provocation.
Local police deployed a significant force in the market area where the clash occurred to maintain order and security.
