Doctor murder: BJP activists storm Nandigram police station during protest
Kolkata (PTI): BJP activists on Friday stormed Nandigram police station in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district during a gherao programme organised in protest against the rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata.
BJP supporters also staged gherao agitations at Chinsurah, Siuri, Midnapore and Bankura police stations.
Over 100 BJP supporters stormed Nandigram police station on Friday morning by breaking through barricades and scuffled with the policemen who made attempts in vain to stop them.
The protestors, of whom several were women, raised slogans inside the police station for some time, before exiting the premises.
A police officer said the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and policemen present at the spot did not take further action to prevent the situation from escalating.
The BJP activists also blocked the thoroughfare in front of the police station before dispersing.
The protest was organised as part of a statewide 'thana gherao' programme over the issue.
Nandigram, which was the epicentre of TMC's anti-land acquisition movement of 2007-08, is the turf of Suvendu Adhikari, who jumped the ship from the ruling party in the state to the BJP in 2020 and won the assembly segment in the 2021 polls by defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh led the demonstration in Midnapore.
"This government has lost all right to remain in office," he said.
Adhikari had on Thursday said that the gherao agitations would be "democratic and non-violent", and would voice people's disenchantment with the ruling party in the state on the issue of women's safety.
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
