West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose is scheduled to visit Dinhata in Cooch Behar district following clashes between TMC and BJP supporters.
The Governor will arrive in Bagdogra on Wednesday afternoon before proceeding to Dinhata.
The clashes erupted on Tuesday evening after a public meeting addressed by Union MoS for Home Nisith Paramanik concluded, and a rally led by state minister and TMC leader Udayan Guha was about to commence nearby.
According to police sources, the confrontation resulted in several injuries, including a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) who sustained a head injury while attempting to disperse the workers of the two parties.
The clash marks the first such incident in the state since the announcement of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.
Numerous shops were damaged during the altercation. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has declared a 24-hour bandh in Dinhata starting Wednesday morning and has initiated protests outside the Dinhata police station, demanding the arrest of Udayan Guha, a state minister.
The Election Commission of India has requested a report on the incident, as confirmed by a district police officer speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Nisith Pramanik, BJP's candidate who won the Cooch Behar seat in 2019 after switching from the TMC, was reportedly campaigning when the altercation occurred.
He alleged that his supporters were attacked by followers of Udayan Guha without any provocation.
Pramanik said, “We were moving in a convoy that was stopped. I was compelled to get out of my car when I saw Guha asking his followers to beat up our workers. At a time when efforts are being made to conduct peaceful elections, Guha is inciting violence. Ever since the polls were announced, Guha has been telling the local business community that anyone supporting BJP will face the consequences.”
However, Guha refuted the claims, asserting that it was BJP supporters who initiated the violence by targeting the TMC's rally venue.
Guha said, “I was returning from an event our workers held to mark my birthday today. I was standing on the road when Pramanik’s convoy arrived. They shot arrows at us and started beating up our workers without any provocation.”
In response to the incident, the Raj Bhavan issued a statement indicating that the Governor has sought a report from the state police chief to ascertain the facts surrounding the clash.
Meanwhile, a 12-hour shutdown called by Guha in Dinhata elicited a mixed response, with partial disruptions to normal life in the area.
While the TMC leadership clarified that the shutdown was initiated by Guha in his personal capacity and not endorsed by the party, the BJP's Cooch Behar district leadership announced plans to gherao the office of the superintendent of police later in the day.
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