The BJP on Monday alleged that supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress attempted to set fire to a puja pandal housing an idol of ‘Bharat Mata’ in the Khardah Assembly constituency on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.
Union minister Sukanta Majumdar visited the area and led efforts to restore the damaged portion of the pandal, after which he offered prayers to the idol that the party claimed represented ‘Bharat Mata’.
"TMC goons in the area set the pandal on fire late Saturday night and fled, but timely action by local people and our supporters prevented further damage. Police took no action so far," Majumdar told reporters at the spot.
Majumdar, the Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), further alleged that there was an attempt to vandalise the idol of ‘Bharat Mata’ inside the pandal.
He claimed that when BJP workers staged a protest against the incident on Sunday, they were instead beaten up by police, whom he accused of acting as "cadres" of the Trinamool Congress.
"Police baton-charge left one party worker, identified as Bhakta Biswas, seriously injured and hospitalised. The BJP will remember the incident and hold those responsible accountable in due course," the former state BJP chief said.
A senior police officer, however, maintained that a short-circuit may have triggered the fire.
"As the BJP protesters turned unruly during the protest before Khardah police station, we had to use minimum force. The situation is peaceful and under control now," the officer said.
Rejecting the BJP’s allegations, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said that sensing an imminent defeat in the upcoming Khardah polls, the BJP was playing the religious card and attempting to disrupt law and order.