 "Dilip Ghosh")
West Bengal BJP claimed that a
video purportedly showing a policeman hurling a crude bomb at the rallyists during party's march to the state secretariat on Thursday proved that the police in West Bengal has become part of ruling Trinamool Congress which is losing people's support.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit West Bengal for two days from October 17 to attend the party's organisational meetings, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh told reporters on Friday.
Ghosh claimed that hundreds of party members, including leaders, were injured in police attack during the march and many are still undergoing treatment at hospitals.
About the video, he said, "Everyone can see how the policeman is hurling a crude bomb from a roof top in Howrah. This also caused injury to our supporters. The video has become viral. The police cannot hide its acts in this age of technology."
On Howrah Police's assertion that only teargas shells were lobbed and not bombs, Ghosh said that they are hushing it up.
"As the TMC is fast losing ground support, it is using the police to attack political opponents like the BJP. Have you ever heard that policemen are damaging buses carrying BJP workers to a rally? Have you ever seen policemen attacking supporters of a political party unprovoked? This can only be possible in West Bengal," he claimed.
Also Read
Ghosh said 24 cases were slapped against party leaders in connection with the October 8 rally.
Cases of destruction of public property have been unfairly slapped on the BJP leaders though the police instigated the whole thing, the Kharagpur MP claimed.
"The TMC government had slapped over 30,000 cases against BJP leaders and workers as they wanted to be on the side of our activists. Around 10-12 of our workers and an MLA were killed during the pandemic. But we cannot be deterred. We will fight it legally," he said.
Ghosh, however, said that the BJP will not gherao police stations or harass policemen "as we believe in democracy. The TMC had attacked police stations in Kaliachak, Ilambazar and Bhawanipore and showed no respect for the men in uniform," Ghosh claimed.
He claimed that the arrested party worker with a licensed gun in Howrah was the security guard of a leader and the police are politicising it unnecessarily to give the BJP a bad name.
To a question on the possibility of the spread of COVID-19 if the Durga puja festival is held on a large scale, Ghosh said, "I would urge both puja committees and the public to observe the puja but shun festivities this year. There was not much celebration in Holi and Ramnavami this year. Let the celebrations be more austere during COVID-19 time."
He said, "We are scared of the safety of people as the CM had said Durga Puja festivities will take place this year as well."
Ghosh said that while Holi celebrations were muted this year, "this government sprayed coloured water mixed with chemicals on our men yesterday perhaps to rekindle the Holi spirit."
The police sprayed blue coloured water from water cannons on the participants of the march on Thursday.
Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay on Thursday said that it is the same colour that is used during the Holi festival. "It is an international practice. Coloured water is used during such agitations so that people can be identified after dispersals," he had said.
Ghosh, however, said that the chemical would cause scars on the skin of party workers and this is unprecedented in the world.
He alleged that the BJP was not given permission to take out rallies in the state citing the COVID-19 situation but the TMC was taking out rallies across the state every day.011
Ghosh later led a silent rally in protest against the alleged attack on party activists during Thursdays march to Nabanna, the state secretariat.
Meanwhile, TMC leader and former MLA Sushil Chandra Roy joined the BJP before the rally in presence of Ghosh. A number of TMC activists from different parts of the state also switched sides.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
