The Kolkata Police arrested five people on Sunday in connection with the clashes between TMC and BJP workers and the attack on state minister Shashi Panja’s residence in Girish Park a day earlier. With this, the total number of arrests in the case reached nine. The police had initially arrested four people on Saturday night.
On Saturday afternoon, violent clashes started between the workers of the rival parties when BJP supporters were heading to the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally. The TMC alleged that a group of BJP workers pelted stones at Panja’s house. While the saffron party complained that TMC goons pelted stones at a bus carrying BJP workers to the Brigade. The issue was also raised by PM Modi during the rally.
The police had initially filed a suo motu case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to illegal assembly, attempt to murder, obstruction of government servants, assault with a weapon, and vandalism of government property. In addition, sections of the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act were also invoked. Later, both the TMC and the BJP filed counter-complaints in the matter.
“A total of nine arrests till now. Complaint received from both the TMC and the BJP late in the night. Two police personnel are still admitted in the hospital, six have been discharged,” said a senior Kolkata Police officer.
Bappaditya Naskar, the officer-in-charge of the Boubazar police station, was among the policemen who sustained injuries while trying to quell the violence in Girish Park.
Meanwhile, BJP workers gheraoed the Baranagar Police Station on the outskirts of Kolkata Saturday over the arrest of party workers in the Girish Park incident. BJP leader Sajal Ghosh said three party workers have been arrested in Baranagar. “They are innocent. They have been arrested unjustly,” he added.
The Election Commission of India has asked Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar to submit a full report on the Girish Park incident within 48 hours. It is slated to announce the schedule for polls to the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Sunday afternoon.