At least 12 members of ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers were injured on Thursday after both sets of supporters were involved in a physical altercation in the Basanti assembly constituency of Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, police said.
Seven police personnel were also injured in the ensuing clash.
“Local police detained eight people before Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel deployed in the area around 2pm,” a district police officer said, requesting anonymity.
“The injured police personnel include a sub-inspector. Senior officers, including the additional superintendent of the Baruipur police division, have rushed to the spot,” he added.
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The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), a Left Front partner, won the Basanti constituency in all previous elections from 1977 to 2011 when TMC came to power. TMC wrested the seat in 2016 and won again in 2021.
According to police, supporters of both the parties attacked each other with sticks and brickbats around 1pm in the Basanti Bazar area where BJP candidate Bikash Sardar, was campaigning with his followers.
“Locals claimed Sardar’s followers objected to some TMC workers recording the campaign with phones. This led to an altercation and a subsequent clash. The claims are being investigated,” the police officer said.
“Police dispersed the workers from both parties before the CAPF personnel reached the spot,” he added.
“The attack was planned to foil our campaign and frighten local voters. The police did not do its duty. The TMC supporters damaged two motorcycles and injured several of our people,” Sardar told media persons.
Meanwhile, Raja Gazi, a local TMC leader, denied the allegations.
“The BJP has no support base in Basanti. It staged a drama to draw attention,” Gazi said.
CM Mamata Banerjee in Birbhum
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was campaigning in Birbhum district when the incident occurred, said at a rally in Dubrajpur that since the model code of conduct (MCC) was in force the Election Commission of India (ECI) will be responsible if any untoward incident took place anywhere in Bengal.
“The ECI is in charge of the administration now. It will be responsible if any untoward incident happens,” Banerjee told the crowd.
