West Bengal post-poll violence: Two killed, mob targets TMC MLA’s home

Tension flared in south Kolkata’s Bhabanipur area past midnight on Tuesday after a mob gathered outside the residence of TMC MLA-elect and senior leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, before dispersing following police intervention.

The senior minister in the outgoing Mamata Banerjee Cabinet said on Wednesday that a gang gathered before his residence at Rupnarayan Nandan Lane around midnight and created a ruckus.

“Some hooligans assembled before my house and shouted slogans for some time. However, as my security personnel called up the police station, officers came, and the troublemakers left,” he said.

Chattopadhyay said the attackers were “hooligans” and he did not wish to associate them with any political party.

Neither Chattopadhyay nor the Kolkata Police specified whether any formal FIR has been lodged in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, in stray incidents of arson reported across the State since the counting of votes on May 4, the election office of TMC candidate and former minister Aroop Biswas was vandalised by a mob in the Bijoygarh-Netajinagar area of Tollygunge.

The office of TMC councillor Sushanta Ghosh was also ransacked at Ruby Crossing in Kasba, among other places.

In Panihati assembly constituency, several offices of the ruling party were allegedly taken over overnight as groups of youths vandalised roadside structures and tore down posters and hoardings bearing images of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.

The TMC said goons attacked their party office in Murshidabad. “Vandalism and chaos, this is the real face of the BJP. This marks the BJP’s descent into gutter politics,” the party said.

A BJP and a TMC worker were killed in separate incidents of post-poll violence on Tuesday, police said.

While BJP worker Madhu Mondal died after being allegedly beaten up by TMC workers during a victory procession in the New Town area on Tuesday evening, TMC worker Abir Sheikh was hacked to death allegedly by BJP activists at Nanoor in Birbhum earlier on the same day, police said.

BJP State president Samik Bhattacharya said, “Post-poll violence would not be tolerated in any form. If anyone from our party is found involved, we will be compelled to remove them,” he said.

The BJP leader also appealed to Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala to ensure prompt administrative intervention wherever incidents of violence are reported.