National Desk, 29th April: In a display of fervent opposition, BJP workers in Siliguri’s Matigara area embarked on a 12-hour protest on Monday, decrying an alleged assault by Trinamool Congress (TMC) members. The tumultuous incident, unfolding on Sunday, left BJP workers aggrieved, claiming that TMC affiliates orchestrated an attack in Darjeeling in staunch support of their party’s agenda.
Protesters converged on NH-31, staging a blockade that brought traffic to a standstill for several hours. In a dramatic show of defiance, demonstrators ignited flames of dissent by setting tires ablaze outside Matigara police station, amplifying their collective outcry against the alleged injustice.
Taking their grievances to the forefront, BJP workers congregated outside Matigara Police Station, recounting the harrowing ordeal endured at the hands of TMC assailants in Darjeeling just a day prior.
Recounting the traumatic episode, BJP worker Nand Kishore Thakur provided a chilling narrative of the alleged assault, detailing how peaceful post-voting activities devolved into a nightmarish confrontation. Thakur lamented the verbal abuse hurled by TMC affiliates and the subsequent physical onslaught, leaving seven individuals injured in its wake.
“After the conclusion of voting on April 26, we returned home peacefully, only to be accosted and verbally assaulted by TMC elements for our allegiance to the BJP. Despite seeking intervention from local authorities, including the village chief and former village chief, our pleas fell on deaf ears. The following day, a marauding group of 25-30 individuals affiliated with the TMC stormed our residence, unleashing a barrage of violence,” recounted Thakur on April 28.
Thakur further disclosed their futile attempt to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) at Matigara Police Station, alleging a lack of cooperation from law enforcement officials.
The incident casts a shadow over the electoral landscape of West Bengal, with constituencies like Darjeeling, Raiganj, and Balurghat already participating in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on April 26, while Malda Uttar and Malda Dakshin gear up for Phase 3 polling on May 7.
As the democratic exercise unfolds in seven phases across the state, the clash between political factions underscores the heightened tensions and deep-seated rivalries characterizing the electoral battlegrounds of West Bengal, with the outcome poised to reverberate across the nation upon the declaration of results on June 4.