TMC, BJP workers clash in Kolkata ahead of PM rally, stones thrown at minister’s house

Supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed in central Kolkata on Saturday evening, shortly before a rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Brigade Parade Ground , leaving a police officer and several political workers injured, officials said.

The violence erupted in the Girish Park area , around five kilometres from the rally venue, as BJP supporters were marching through the locality to attend the meeting that marked the culmination of the party’s statewide ‘Parivartan Yatra’ ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

Tensions escalated when supporters of both parties allegedly pelted stones at each other and raised slogans , triggering panic in the busy neighbourhood. Amid the chaos, Bappaditya Naskar , officer-in-charge of Bowbazar police station, sustained injuries while attempting to control the situation, police sources said.

The BJP also claimed that its north Kolkata district president Tamaghno Ghosh and several party workers were injured during the clashes. Ghosh was later taken to hospital for treatment.

The incident also involved alleged attacks on the residence of West Bengal minister Shashi Panja . Addressing reporters later in the day, Panja said bricks were hurled at her house and claimed she was hit on the abdomen during the attack. Several TMC supporters and members of her office staff were also injured, she said.

Flanked by state minister Bratya Basu and MP Saayoni Ghosh , Panja alleged that the attackers had intended to kill her and described the incident as a pre-planned assault . She claimed that some people travelling in buses to the rally were carrying bricks, glass bottles and bombs.

Basu termed the incident unprecedented, saying it was the first time in independent India that a minister’s residence had been attacked by a mob in such a manner.

The BJP, however, rejected the allegations and accused TMC activists of initiating the violence. Party leaders claimed their supporters were attacked without provocation while heading to the rally and alleged that stones were thrown at workers and buses carrying participants. Some BJP leaders also accused the police of initially remaining inactive as the situation escalated.

Without directly referring to the clash, Modi later alleged during his speech that BJP supporters had faced harassment and attempts were made to prevent them from reaching the rally venue by blocking bridges and detaining workers.

Police later deployed a large contingent to the area and dispersed the clashing groups , bringing the situation under control. The incident created tension in the locality, prompting several shopkeepers to hurriedly shut their establishments as the unrest unfolded.