West Bengal: Union minister Nisith Pramanik's convoy attacked; TMC blamed
The convoy of Union minister Nisith Pramanik was reportedly attacked by goons, allegedly backed by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), in West Bengal's Cooch Behar on Saturday. Pramanik, the Union Minister of State for Home and Youth Affairs and Sports, was reportedly on his way to meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Cooch Behar's Dinhata when his convoy was attacked.
Clash in Dinhata between BJP, TMC workers: Report
Stones were also pelted at the vehicle of Pramanik, who is also the Cooch Behar MP, ANI reported. Reports suggested a clash erupted after BJP workers, in retaliation, hurled stones at alleged TMC goons, forcing cops to fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. While Pramanik escaped unhurt, the window panes of his car and some other vehicles in the convoy were damaged.
Police shielding real culprits, alleges Pramanik
Reacting to the incident, Pramanik said that it showed West Bengal's dire law and order situation. "TMC workers, with the help of the police, are targeting us. The police, instead of stopping the attackers, are shielding the real culprits. Today, my vehicle was attacked. Tomorrow, someone else might be targeted. We will take up this matter with the central government," the BJP leader said.
Visuals of Dinhata clash
TMC's response following incident
TMC State General Secretary Kunal Ghosh said, "The Centre is not sending funds for development projects. The BJP is busy dividing people along religious lines. The BSF is torturing people in border areas." "People are angry at the Centre over these issues and expressing their anger through protests... We will take note of what exactly happened in Cooch Behar and act accordingly," he added.
TMC's Jaiprakash Majumdar hits back at BJP
Meanwhile, TMC leader Jaiprakash Majumdar alleged BJP leaders like Suvendu Adhikari and Dilip Ghosh were instigating party workers to disrupt the peace in the state. "These leaders should be brought to task first," Majumdar was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.
Aggression against Pramanik in Cooch Behar
Reportedly, locals in Cooch Behar were angry at Pramanik over the death of a tribal in an alleged firing by the Border Security Force (BSF). At a recent rally there, TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee had targeted Pramanik for reportedly not doing enough to address the concerns of tribals after the incident. Furthermore, the TMC announced it would hold protests against the BJP leader.
