Barely 48 hours before Nandigram in East Medinipur district in West Bengal votes in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, a murder of a female BJP worker and injuries suffered by at least seven other karyakartas in an alleged attack by Trinamool Congress cadre, led to widespread violence. The police and RAF personnel lathicharged protestors who burnt tyres and blocked roads.
Nandigram MLA and the BJP’s Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, alleged that late last night a group of BJP activists, including the slain woman Rathibala Ari and her son Sanjay Ari were part of a party team tasked to keep an eye on polling booths “protect EVMs from being hijacked and guard against outsiders when Trinamool Congress; goons attacked the team with sharp weapons.”
The woman sustained multiple wounds on her head and expired before she could be administered medical aid. Her son, too, sustained grievous injuries and had to be rushed to hospital in Kolkata. At least five other BJP workers were attacked, the BJP leaders alleged.
Several shops were torched by an angry mob who called for a 12-hour bandh in Nandigram.
Heavy police deployment was made in the area to disperse BJP workers who blocked the roads and burned tyres. Cops had to resort to lathi-charge to control the situation in the Sonachura area of the district. A unit of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) has also been deployed in the area to control the violence.
The local BJP leadership claimed that in the wake of the elections, the local BJP supporters including women activists, conduct night patrolling in the Sonachura area periodically to check anti-social elements during the polls.
According to the local BJP leader Meghnath Pal, in the wee hours of Thursday when a similar patrol was going on, a group of unknown miscreants reached there on motorcycles and attacked the patrolling team with sharp weapons.
“In that attack, Rathibala was killed and her son, who was injured, is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital. We strongly believe that these unknown miscreants were linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress,” Pal said.
Addressing an electoral meeting in Nandigram in the evening, Suvendu Adhkari read out a list of names of alleged Trinamool Congress leaders who were directly involved in the murder and said that the BJP would “take care of them.” He also said that the murder was due to the “incitement by the Trinamool second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee in his speech in Nandigram yesterday”. He promised to move the High Court to ask for a CBI investigation into the murder.
Condemning the violence in Nandigram, BJP’s IT cell chief and Bengal co-minder Amit Malviya said that the Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee must be held accountable for her provocative statements and subsequent action by criminal members of her party.
“16th May, 2024 – Mamata Banerjee, at a rally in Haldia, threatened to take revenge for her defeat in Nandigram. She lost to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, but still shamelessly took over as Chief Minister. On 23rd May, 2024 – BJP worker Rathibala Arhi is murdered in Nandigram. I condemn Trinamool supporters’ cowardly attack on BJP workers in Nandigram. Trinamool supporters attacked BJP workers with sharp weapons in the Sonachura area of Nandigram. Seven people were injured in the incident. Rathibala Arhi, a woman BJP worker, lost her life. Such violence is unacceptable in democracy,” he said in a post on X.
“Mamata Banerjee must be held accountable for her provocative statements and subsequent action by criminal members of her party. We will fight and ensure justice for Rathibala Ari and all victims. Our local unit has called for a 12-hour bandh in Nandigram. But when will the Election Commission take note of Mamata Banerjee’s repeated communal and murderous statements? After the election is over?” the BJP leader added.
The Trinamool Congress, however, denied any association with the violence and said it was internal rivalry among the BJP workers which had led to the clashes.
Dismissing the allegations of involvement, Trinamool Congress leader in Nandigram, Shiekh Sufiyan, said: “There were some family disputes and the killing could be the consequence of that.”
Another senior officer of district police said that an investigation into the killing of the woman was underway. So far, police have made no arrests or detention in connection with the violence.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has sought a report from authorities over the incident. The commission is also sending some observers to Bengal to look into the matter.
