West Bengal: Rajnath calls up Mamata over violence in Shah's rally, asks to ensure action

In the aggression that followed the rally on Tuesday, a TMC party office was ransacked and vehicles ferrying BJP workers were set on fire.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh gestures during a press conference/(Photo by Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP)

New Delhi: After the violent clashes that broke out between TMC and BJP workers in West Bengal’s Midnapore following a rally of the BJP chairperson Amit Shah on Tuesday,  Home Minister Rajnath Singh called up West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and expressed serious concern over report about it. Singh had a telephonic conversation with Banerjee, in which he asked her to take action against those who indulged in the violence. The home minister called up the chief minister to express serious concern over the reports of large-scale violence and arson against people who participated in the rally of the BJP president in East Midnapore district, a home ministry official said. In the aggression that followed the rally on Tuesday, a TMC party office was ransacked and vehicles ferrying BJP workers were set on fire. In the clashes took place at Kanthi in East Midnapore district, three people were injured in the clashes although no confirmation was available from the police in this regard. BJP workers claimed that the vehicles which were returning from Shah's rally were ransacked and set on fire allegedly by TMC activists. The TMC, on the other hand, claimed that BJP workers had vandalised a local TMC party office in Kanthi, after which the irked TMC supporters retaliated. A series of allegations and counter allegations followed up. While BJP leaders blamed TMC workers, the TMC activists claimed that the BJP was trying to disturb peace and stability in the district. BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh condemned the alleged attack by TMC workers and said “When our supporters were returning from Amit Shah's rally they were attacked by TMC activists. This is a shame.” BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha claimed that everything happened in front of police but they were just mute spectators. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said “TMC goons tried to vandalise and set fire in the buses which brought people to the rally. These incidents of arson reveal that Talibani forces are operating in Mamata Ji’s rule.” “TMC activists openly set fire on roads, pelt stones at BJP workers, and attack them, but the police remain silent spectator to all of this”, he said. As per reports, a huge police contingent was rushed to the spot to control the situation. Shah, while addressing the massive rally, trained guns at TMC government and vowed to uproot it.