CPI(M) party offices across Bengal bore the brunt of Trinamool Congress anger even as the ruling party men descended on streets late on Tuesday evening to protest against the heckling of State Finance Minister Amit Mitra in Delhi by alleged SFI supporters.
Irate Trinamool workers went on the rampage, ransacking scores of CPM offices through out the State as scenes of Mitra being attacked were on air.
The Trinamool leadership, including Mukul Roy and State Industry Minister Partho Chatterjee, appealed for calm. Gauging the public mood, Marxist leaders — including Opposition leader Surya Kanto Mishra and party secretary Biman Bose - condemned the Delhi incident, saying the party was considering appropriate action against the offenders.
Sources said dozens of offices were attacked, some torched in Hooghly, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Durgapur, Asansol, Birbhum. Purulia, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Coochbehar and Midnapore. Bombs were hurled and cars of former Ministers Abdul Rezzak Mollah and Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury damaged while the Trinamool leadership appealed for calm, quoting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“We have asked our workers to show silent protest but refrain from violence,” said Chatterjee, adding that his party had called a “protest day” on Wednesday.
Mitra was heckled by the SFI supporters in the National Capital, protesting against student leader Sudipto Gupto’s custody death outside the Planning Commission office, where Mamata Banerjee and her Cabinet members had gone to discuss a financial package for Bengal. “This is how the CPM has paid us for talking in Bengal’s interest,” Partho Chatterjee said.
Top police officials refused to comment but conceded they were having a tough time
controlling angry mobs and apprehended more violence during the night.