A violent confrontation broke out in central Kolkata’s Entally area on Thursday as BJP and Congress workers clashed during protests over an alleged physical altercation between MPs of the two parties in Parliament.
The clash erupted as members of the BJP's youth wing and Congress supporters accused each other of initiating the violence.
According to the BJP, their Yuva Morcha activists were peacefully protesting outside the Congress state office when they were attacked by Congress workers.
They claimed Congress supporters pelted them with stones, glass bottles, and bricks.
“Shocking scenes from Kolkata! Congress workers resorted to violence by pelting stones, throwing glass bottles, and hurling bricks at BJP Yuva Morcha workers, who were peacefully protesting against Rahul Gandhi’s physical attack on BJP MPs in the Indian Parliament,” BJP leader and co-in-charge of Bengal, Amit Malviya, said on X.
Malviya further condemned the Congress’s actions, stating, “Ironically, this was done while holding a portrait of B R Ambedkar Ji, the architect of the Constitution, that safeguards the fundamental right of every Indian to protest peacefully. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee’s police stood by as silent spectators, allowing this chaos and lawlessness by Congress hooligans to unfold in the heart of Kolkata.”
In response, senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya refuted the BJP’s claims. He accused the BJP of instigating the violence and blamed its workers for attacking Congress supporters near their party office.
“It was BJP workers who attacked Congress supporters standing near our party office. They are trying to shift the blame after creating the unrest,” Bhattacharya said.
Eyewitnesses reported a chaotic scene with both sides hurling objects at each other. Police struggled to maintain control of the situation but eventually managed to disperse the crowd.
The protests were triggered by an earlier incident in Parliament, where a confrontation between MPs from BJP and Congress over an alleged insult to B R Ambedkar led to claims of physical altercations.
Two BJP members were hospitalised, and a woman BJP MP accused Rahul Gandhi of misbehaving with her. Both the BJP and Congress lodged complaints at Parliament Street police station.
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