A Deputy Commissioner of Police of Central division was injured today when BJP workers belonging to the party's trade cell allegedly engaged in brickbatting during a demonstration, forcing the police to resort to lathi charge to chase them away.
Twelve persons were arrested for allegedly indulging in brickbatting on police officials.
DCP(Central) D P Singh was injured when BJP workers, who were demonstrating in front of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, hurled brickbats, police officials said.
"We have arrested twelve persons in this incident. An MRI and CITI scan have been conducted on D P Singh. He is under medical supervision of doctors," a senior official of Kolkata police said.
"There have been several political programmes in the city in the past too. But the BJP activists from the very begining were aggressive and all of a sudden resorted to hooliganism by hurling abuses and throwing brickbats," said a police official.
Led by BJP state secretary Ritesh Tiwari and other leaders of the BJP trade cell, the demonstrators were trying to break through a barricade put up by the police in front of the corporation, the police said.
Five BJP activists were earlier detained in connection with the incident.
According to police officials, even after brickbats were hurled at the police the officials tried to calm down the agitators.
But once the DC (central) D P Singh was injured the police resorted to lathi charge to chase away the crowd.
Tiwari alleged that the police attacked the BJP trade cell workers who were expressing solidarity with the agitating businessmen in the area.
He claimed that many BJP workers were injured.
Asked about the injury of the DCP(Central), he said BJP workers were not involved in it and demanded that there should be a thorough investigation to find it out.
TMC mayor-in council Atin Ghosh condemned the incident and alleged that BJP was trying to create chaos in the area.
