Clash between police & BJP workers during 'law-violation programme' in Bengal

Basirhat (WB): Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and police personnel were injured after a "law-violation programme" of the party turned violent in Basirhat town of West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Monday.

According to the police, they had initially tried to pacify the BJP supporters, but resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd after the party workers threw stones at the force. Several BJP workers and police officials were injured in the clash in Basirhat -- about 60 km east of Kolkata. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, who was present at the event, claimed that the stones were thrown by "outsiders" who had nothing to do with the party. 

"We were conducting our 'law-violation programme' peacefully, but the police started unprovoked lathi-charge. Those who have pelted stones are outsiders, they have nothing to do with the BJP." Senior TMC leader Jyotipriyo Mullick alleged that the saffron party was deliberately trying to create violence and demanded that Ghosh be arrested for instigating violence. The BJP has been organising "law-violation programmes" in various parts of the state in protest against the Trinamool Congress government's decision to not allow its proposed rath yatras. 

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to accord urgent hearing on a plea challenging a Calcutta High Court order of not allowing the party's rath yatras in the state. The three-phased "Save Democracy Rally" was scheduled to be held this month and cover all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies. The rallies were to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah.