A two-member Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation is scheduled to visit Bhupatinagar in the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal on Sunday (April 7), where a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team faced an attack by villagers while they were apprehending two accused persons linked to a blast case from 2022 in the region.
Rather than the reverse, Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee accused NIA officials of assaulting villagers at Bhupatinagar.
As per a report by PTI, CM Mamata defended the actions by the villagers as self-defense, saying that NIA personnel had entered several residences during the early hours in connection with an incident involving the "bursting of crackers in 2022". Click here to read the full report of the recent attack on the NIA team in Bengal.
2-Member TMC Delegation To Visit Region Today
TMC's Kunal Ghosh, accompanied by senior state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, will visit the area today to interact with villagers, including the families of the detained persons, and subsequently lead a rally at Bhagabanpur in Bhupatinagar. Ghosh stated that they would later submit a report to the party, PTI reported.
Senior state minister Bratya Basu condemned the incident. He, expressing apprehensions, said that "even the detonation of chocolate bombs could prompt NIA interventions in Bengal".
He noted what he perceives as the overreach of the BJP at the Centre, he believes this is testing the patience of the ruling party (TMC).
Basu said that the party requested a meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission (ECI) in New Delhi to address concerns about the "utilisation of central agencies by BJP".
In response, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya criticised the response made by the Chief Minister, implying it demonstrates scant regard for NIA investigations into blasts and raises apprehensions regarding the state and security of the country.
BJP MP and Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat candidate Dilip Ghosh remarked that the attack is part of a pattern where the state's ruling party engineers assaults on personnel from independent agencies to impede investigations into leaders' wrongdoing.
"TMC had similarly incited attacks on ED personnel in Sandeshkhali. Eventually, the perpetrators of such attacks were apprehended. Utilising a section of villagers to incite people against personnel of federal agencies has become a hallmark of the party," Ghosh was quoted as saying by PTI.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari urged the Election Commission to take action against certain police officials, alleging that Mamata Banerjee's repeated provocations have emboldened attacks on NIA officers.
"The law and order framework in West Bengal has completely collapsed, and since control is currently vested with the Election Commission of India, @ECISVEEP must take appropriate action against the Officer in Charge of Bhupatinagar Police Station, SDPO Contai, SP of Purba Medinipur District, and the DG of WB Police," Adhikari posted on X.