The political situation in West Bengal remained tense Thursday after a series of violent incidents across North 24 Parganas left multiple BJP workers injured, including a shooting in Basirhat and bomb attacks in Panihati, deepening post-poll unrest in the state.
These attacks followed the murder of Chandranath Rath, a close aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in Madhyamgram Wednesday night, which the police have described as a “planned hit”. They said that assailants fired 10 rounds at his vehicle and used a getaway car with tampered licence plates.
BJP worker Rohit Roy alias Chintu, 38, is currently in critical condition after being shot in the abdomen in the Gotra area of Basirhat. Roy alleged that he was targeted by a group of 8 to 10 people associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
“We were putting up BJP flags when a group of five or six men opened fire,” Roy said from his hospital bed. “I tried to flee after the first shot missed, but they fired indiscriminately. I can identify them: Jahinur, Sontu, Bhola, and Ujjwal were all part of the group,” he said.
Senior BJP leaders, including Tanmay Mondal and Basirhat district president Sukalyan Baidya, visited the victim and called for immediate police action. While the BJP alleges the attackers are “sheltered” by the TMC, the police have launched a formal investigation to verify the claims.
In another incident in North 24 Parganas, at least three BJP workers were injured in an alleged bomb attack at Dutta Road in Ward No. 2 of Panihati, where tensions flared hours after Rath’s murder in Madhyamgram. According to reports, BJP workers were interacting with residents when several miscreants arrived on motorcycles.
Witnesses claimed four bike-borne assailants allegedly hurled bombs at the BJP workers and fled the scene immediately after the attack. The injured were rushed to RG Kar Hospital in critical condition, where they are currently undergoing treatment.
Upon receiving the information, personnel from the Khardah police station and central forces arrived at the spot to bring the situation under control. The Khardah police initiated an investigation by reviewing CCTV footage to identify and apprehend the culprits. Though the BJP pointed fingers at the TMC, it has denied the allegations.
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These incidents are part of a broader post-poll violence wave across the state, as the state transitions from 15 years of TMC rule to a BJP-led administration. On May 5, several police officers and central force personnel were injured by gunfire and pellets in Sandeshkhali.
The BJP has expressed caution regarding “new recruits” who recently defected from the TMC, alleging that some may be using BJP flags to carry out attacks. The party has officially appealed to the West Bengal Police to arrest all perpetrators, regardless of their political ties, to curb the “politics of vendetta” that Adhikari claims has plagued the state for over a decade.
Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta addressed the media Wednesday to provide a status report on the law and order situation across the state. While acknowledging the gravity of the recent incidents, he noted that several areas, including Asansol, Cooch Behar, and Baruipur, had witnessed disturbances but were now showing signs of relative calm.
The police have filed over 200 FIRs in connection with post-poll unrest, arrested 433 people and detained over 1,000 others under preventive sections to thwart further escalation.