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regular-article-logo Friday, 10 May 2024

Trinamul, CPM offices attacked, BJP blamed

A gram panchayat office was also ransacked in the attack

Snehamoy Chakraborty Arambagh Published 04.12.20, 02:01 AM
Trinamul workers gather at their ransacked party office, with torn posters of Mamata Banerjee, in Hooghly’s Arambagh on Thursday.

Trinamul workers gather at their ransacked party office, with torn posters of Mamata Banerjee, in Hooghly’s Arambagh on Thursday. Ananda Adhikari

A couple of party offices of the Trinamul Congress and the CPM were ransacked in Hooghly’s Arambagh late on Wednesday night, bringing rivals on the same page with leaders of both accusing the BJP of the attacks.

Along with the offices, a gram panchayat office was also ransacked in the attack.

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Sources said unidentified persons ransacked a Trinamul party office in Gourhati and damaged furniture late on Wednesday. They tore party flags and posters with pictures of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and ransacked the Trinamul-run Gourhati-II gram panchayat office.

“The BJP is losing its support in Arambagh and that's why it chose to attack our party office and gram panchayat office. We have filed an FIR,” said Palash Roy, Trinamul block president in Arambagh.

Workers at the ransacked CPM office with flags strewn on the ground, also  in Arambagh on Thursday

Workers at the ransacked CPM office with flags strewn on the ground, also in Arambagh on Thursday Ananda Adhikari

All-India president of the Trinamul Youth Congress Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to visit Arambagh on December 10 for a mass rally, Roy added.

The goons went on to attack the CPM area committee office at Dongol More. The door of the office was damaged and 100 party flags were destroyed. The CPM branch office at Gourhati More was also ransacked.

Local CPM leaders said the saffron camp was angry with the Left for leading the farmers’ movement against the Narendra Modi government in Delhi. “The success of the November 26 strike and the farmers' movement in Delhi have angered the BJP and they vented their ire at our party offices,” said Samir Bera a CPM leader in Arambagh.

Though Bera accused the BJP directly, Purnendu Chatterjee, CPM area committee secretary in Arambagh, said: “We filed complaints against unidentified goons for the attacks but we cannot rule out the BJP’s presence."

The BJP denied both allegations.

“There is no reason to attack CPM party offices as the party has no impact in this area. Attack on the Trinamul office is result of its own infighting,” said BJP's Arambagh unit president Biman Ghosh.

Responding to the complaints lodged by two political parties, police rushed to the area and a police officer said they were keeping an eye on such incidents in the run-up to state polls.

“We have started a probe and will arrest those involved in the attacks,” said Arambagh SDPO Abhishek Mandal.

These apart, a Trinamul party office in village Bankra of North 24-Parganas’ Hingalganj police station area was ransacked on Wednesday night. Local Trinamul leaders found on Thursday morning that the party office and a few shops were ransacked. Police have been informed.

In West Burdwan’s Kanksa and Andal, tension erupted between Trinamul and BJP workers over capturing walls for graffiti.

A group of Trinamul workers stopped BJP workers from writing graffiti on walls in Madanpur village of Andal, Trinamul workers saying they had already "marked" them as theirs. This led to a minor clash.

In Bishnupur village of Kanksa, the BJP said walls marked “BJP” had been captured by Trinamul workers.

Additional reporting by Abhijeet Chatterjee

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