Four persons have been arrested in West Bengal for allegedly assaulting a police officer and setting a police vehicle on fire in Kolkata at a protest march organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party, PTI reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, hundreds of BJP members from across the state had arrived in Kolkata and neighbouring Howrah for a march to the state secretariat building in protest against alleged corruption by the ruling Trinamool Congress.
The protest turned violent and several BJP workers and police personnel were injured. A police vehicle was torched in Kolkata and officials of the force, including Assistant Commissioner of Police Debajit Chattopadhyay, were beaten up allegedly by BJP members.
Visuals shared on social media showed a group of protesters – some of the men holding BJP flags – surrounding the police official and beating him up.
On Wednesday, the West Bengal Police said that those arrested were identified from video clips on social media. They have been booked under sections dealing with attempts to murder, destruction of government property and preventing a public servant from performing duty, according to PTI.
“The arrests were made during night-long raids in Beliaghata, Topsia and Bowbazar areas,” an unidentified police officer said. “The raids are still going on.”
The officer also said that Chattopadhyay suffered multiple fractures and is undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, the BJP alleged that the violence broke out after supporters of the Trinamool Congress infiltrated the protest march, PTI reported.
“Our activists are being framed and false charges slapped against them,” BJP National Vice President Dilip Ghosh said.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that West Bengal has turned into a lawless and bankrupt state under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He added that Banerjee speaks of protecting democracy outside West Bengal, but curbs democratic and civil rights of citizens in her own state.
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