Reports of arson and vandalism at Trinamool Congress (TMC) offices surfaced across West Bengal on Monday, hours after BJP workers celebrated a sweeping electoral victory, with the ruling party accusing its rival of orchestrating attacks and the BJP rejecting the allegations.
Police said TMC offices in Kolkata’s Tollygunge and Kasba, as well as in Baruipur, Kamarhati, Baranagar, Howrah and Baharampur, were vandalised by mobs since Monday afternoon. An Election Commission official said strict action will be taken against those involved in the rampage and assault, and reports have been sought from local police to initiate follow-up action.
BJP leader Rahul Sinha denied any involvement of his party’s workers, suggesting internal discord within the TMC. He said the incidents could be the handiwork of rival factions venting frustration at party leaders after the results.
In Tollygunge’s Bijoygarh-Netajjnagar area, the election office of TMC candidate and former minister Aroop Biswas was vandalised, with some individuals seen kicking broken hoardings before leaving. At Ruby Crossing, a crowd carrying BJP flags ransacked the office of TMC councillor Sushanta Ghosh.
Condemning the incidents, the TMC said on X, "The BJP has shown its true colours right after coming to power." "Their goons led a violent attack on our party office in Murshidabad. Vandalism and chaos -- this is the real face of the BJP. This marks the BJP's descent into gutter politics," it said.
Alleging an attack on its candidate in Udaynarayanpur, the party said, "Brutal attack on our candidate Samir Panja was a testament to their violent mindset. This is not democracy; this is sheer thuggery."
TMC’s Maniktala candidate Shreya Pande also shared a video on social media showing a middle-aged party leader with a blood-soaked shirt, alleging he was her election agent assaulted by BJP workers after vote counting. She lost the seat to BJP’s Tapas Roy by 15,644 votes.
The TMC further posted a video purportedly showing its Siliguri office being set ablaze, though PTI could not independently verify its authenticity.
In Panihati, where RG Kar Hospital rape-murder victim’s mother Ratna Debnath defeated TMC’s Tirthankar Ghosh by 28,836 votes, a TMC office was taken over overnight.
Meanwhile, TMC candidates Trinankur Bhattacharya (Noapara) and Rajb Chakraborty (Barrackpore) were allegedly manhandled while leaving counting centres and had to be escorted by CAPF personnel.
Rahul Sinha condemned the violence but said it "cannot be matched with the 2021 situation when our office bearers were attacked by TMC immediately after the counting and several party offices were set on fire, with the state police not taking action".
"This time, however, police and central security forces were taking prompt action," he said.