Deepak Barman, the sitting MLA and BJP’s candidate from the Falakata Assembly constituency, was attacked allegedly by a group of Trinamool Congress workers on Tuesday, a day ahead of the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah.

Barman was attacked in the Hospital More area of the Kadambini tea estate. He was rescued by his security personnel and taken to the super-speciality hospital in Falakata for treatment.

Sources said the situation escalated when a child suddenly came in front of Barman’s vehicle while he was returning from a campaign. The driver applied the brakes to avoid an accident, following which tensions flared.

Ravi Minz, the head of the Trinamool-run Falakata 2 panchayat, along with his supporters, reached the spot.

“A child suddenly came in front of my vehicle, and the driver stopped the car immediately. When I stepped out to check, Ravi Minz and his associates attacked my driver and injured him. They also snatched the vehicle’s keys. I was also hit, and I fell on the ground. The incident happened in front of the police, but they remained mute spectators,” said Barman.

“I have informed Amit Shah and have lodged a complaint at Falakata police station,” he added.

After the incident, BJP supporters reached the spot. Police and paramilitary forces also went there, but Minz had fled the spot by then.

In protest against the incident, the BJP supporters, along with Barman, staged a blockade on NH17D at Falakata Chowpathi, disrupting traffic for some time.

Amit Kumar Shaw, the district police chief of Alipurduar, said based on the complaint, they are probing the case.

Trinamool denied the charge.

“Tension cropped up as the child was about to be hit. The BJP candidate is trying to give it a political colour,” said Subhabrata Dey, a district secretary of Trinamool.