A clash broke out between two groups in the Khidderpore-Mominpur area of Kolkata, leaving several people injured, triggering a war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.
The BJP has claimed that law and order have worsened in West Bengal, drawing a sharp retort from the ruling TMC which accused the saffron party of trying to vitiate the atmosphere of the state.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, who tried to visit the area, was stopped and arrested on Monday.
According to the police, clashes broke out between two groups in the Khidderpore-Mominpur area over some local issues, in which several people were injured. Some protesters also staged a demonstration outside the Ekbalpur police station.
Following the tension in the area, police personnel including those of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed in the area to maintain the law and order situation.
"I have written to Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri@AmitShah Ji & Hon'ble Governor Shri La Ganesan Ji requesting them to urgently deploy Central Forces in the wake of Mominpur violence & ransacking of Ekbalpur Police Station before the Law & Order situation of WB gets out of hand," Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari tweeted.
Sukanta Majumdar was stopped at the Chingrighata area and was asked to go back as Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 of the CrPC had been imposed to discourage the assembly of a group of more than three people. He was later arrested.
"Sukanta Majumdar was later arrested and taken to Lalbazar police headquarters," a senior police official said.
Senior TMC leader Sougata Roy said the police had taken all the steps needed to bring the situation under control.
"The miscreants have been arrested. What will Sukanta Majumdar do by going there apart from giving hate speeches? The BJP is trying to vitiate the atmosphere of the state. The BJP should stop politicising every incident," Roy said.
