TMC-BJP Workers Clash In Kolkata Over Use of Microphone in High Volume, Makeshift Stage Set On Fire

Kolkata: Workers from the Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engaged in clashes on Sunday evening at Kolkata's Sakherbazar area allegedly over the use of microphones in high volume by a local club.

In the commotion, a makeshift stage, where former Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb addressed a public meeting in the afternoon, was reportedly set on fire. A fire tender rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control.

What Triggered The Clash

Party members from both sides gave varied reasons about what triggered the clash. According to TMC MLA Ratna Chatterjee who represents the Behala Purba constituency, claimed that some BJP supporters had accosted members of the club during a badminton tournament. "The more they resort to such tactics, the more the Trinamool Congress will harden its stance," Chatterjee said.  

Local BJP leaders however alleged that some goons set fire to the makeshift stage from where Biplab Deb addressed a rally, as part of the BJP's ‘Parivartan Sankalp Yatra' ahead of the assembly elections.

The BJP reportedly claimed that TMC workers at first disrupted their meeting by playing loud music and even hoisted their party flags at the meeting venue. 

However, reports also suggest that TMC workers claimed that BJP supporters had vandalized an event organized by TMC's Sudip Poli.

What Sukanta Majumdar Said

Senior BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar claimed that workers and supporters of opposition political parties were being tortured and assaulted, in the presence of police. "Today, an entire "jungle raj" reigns openly across West Bengal," he said.

“Today, in the Behala West Assembly constituency area of South Kolkata, the miscreants of Trinamool launched a barbaric attack on the meeting of the Honorable Election Co-in-Charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party West Bengal and former Chief Minister of Tripura @BjpBiplab (Biplab Kumar Deb),” Majumdar posted on X.

“Even though Kolkata Police officials were present on Diamond Harbour Road during this incident, they took no effective steps to stop the frenzied Trinamool goon brigade, which is clear proof of a conspiracy,” he added.

Visuals from the area shows a heavy deployment of police officials, and chairs littered all over the road. 

ALSO READ: 'Will Hunt You Down From Beneath Earth': TMC MLA Threatens To 'Teach a Lesson' To Election Commission Over SIR