BJP alleges MoS Home’s convoy attacked in Cooch Behar, police claim ‘minor scuffle’

The BJP on Thursday alleged that Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nisith Pramanik’s convoy was attacked in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district, but police said it was a ”minor scuffle” as some people tried to wave black flags at him.

Pramanik was in the Sitai area to visit the houses of BJP workers who were attacked last week, the BJP said.

Stones were hurled at his cavalcade by TMC supporters, it alleged.

Rejecting the allegation, TMC claimed the incident might be the result of infighting within the BJP. Police said there was a minor scuffle between men in the minister’s convoy, and some people who had come to demonstrate with black flags.

”It was a minor scuffle between people in the minister’s convoy and bystanders carrying black flags, when the cavalcade was passing through the Sitai police station area. During the scuffle, a few motorcycles were damaged. On-duty police officers intervened, and the situation was brought under control. We have not arrested anyone,” Cooch Behar SP Sumit Kumar told PTI.

Police said there were 20 vehicles in Pramanik’s convoy, and about 200 people on motorcycles were accompanying it.

The scuffle broke out when around five persons tried to wave black flags at Pramanik, the MP of Cooch Behar, they said.

The minister later told reporters that if there was an attack on his convoy, the attackers will get a ”reply”.

”If they attack my convoy, we won’t shower flowers on them. If they attack, they will get a reply,” he said.

”I have come here to meet BJP workers who were attacked a few days back. We stand with our party workers. We are not here to conduct any political programme. I just wanted to meet the party workers and their families,” he added.

BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said it was shameful and a matter of concern that a Union minister was ”attacked” in West Bengal.

”This is a regular affair in the state where opposition workers are attacked and killed by the TMC regime,” he alleged.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, ”We don’t know what happened there, so it won’t be right to comment just on news reports. But, I don’t think the TMC is in any way involved in it. It must be due to infighting between the newcomers and old-timers of the BJP,” Ghosh said.

Last week, North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha, a veteran politician of Cooch Behar, had purportedly asked TMC workers to wrench off the moustache and beard of Pramanik after ensuring a massive win for the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.

Asked about the attack, Guha said, ”No such incident has taken place in that area.”