The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and its leaders were involved in a violent conflict with the police during the party’s “Nabanna Chalo” march on 13th September.
The Calcutta High Court requested a report from the state’s home secretary by September 19 after hearing the BJP’s complaint against senior state government officials for taking proactive police action against members of the saffron party.
Bengal police blocked roads and deployed water cannons to put an end to the BJP protest against alleged corruption in the Trinamool Congress government.
To contain the incident, the BJP claims that the police officers used a baton charge. Videos of BJP workers being detained and beaten by the police went viral on social media.
Senior BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta claimed that police attacked a “peaceful demonstration”.
“They fired shells and lathi-charged protestors. I got pushed by a policeman. A peaceful demonstration was attacked in this fashion. They also attacked BJP workers in Howrah and Santragachi,” he said, while speaking to Republic TV.
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh added that, “The incident proves again that ‘jungle raj’ is prevailing in West Bengal and police are mute spectators.”
Mamata Banerjee sent TMC cadres to pelt stones at the police so that later BJP could be blamed for it… pic.twitter.com/SkUBecr042
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 13, 2022
However, soon after the videos were released, another narrative started to form where videos of the police being assaulted by party workers also surfaced.
Stones were hurled at the police in Santragachhi while they were chasing the protesters away. A police car was set ablaze in Lalbazar. According to reports, several police men were hurt.
An assistant commissioner of #KolkataPolice grievously injured in today’s protest rally in the city. pic.twitter.com/1erZNeeJAY
— Sreyashi Dey (@SreyashiDey) September 13, 2022
BJP IT cell and their Spokespersons have already started blaming Muslims for violence in Kolkata.
Do watch how people chant Religious slogans while touching Police vehicle. pic.twitter.com/UeXou2Xoo0— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 13, 2022
If you want TV media to debate on this incident and News Anchors to tweet, Try to get some Muslim angle to this. Only then they'll make some noise. pic.twitter.com/noqcTpaWtV
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 13, 2022
TMC MP Ssantanau Sen responded to these claims by saying that the attack was secretly orchestrated by the BJP themselves.
“It’s an excuse… there are no people in their rallies so they are alleging all this to stay in the limelight.” He further alleged, “TMC does not need to attack the BJP rally, as they’re a self-destructive party. TMC doesn’t have anything to do with it. We don’t instigate, they do,” he said.
