By ISNS,
Kolkata: Congress leaders Saturday claimed they were attacked by Trinamool Congress activists in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district.
A Congress team comprising state party chief Manas Bhuniya and general secretary of All India Youth Congress (AIYC) Usha Naidu was allegedly attacked on its way back from Khejuri after a meeting Saturday evening.
The Congress leaders alleged that a few Trinamool Congress supporters also hurled bricks at them.
Naidu said: “On our journey back from the venue, several of our supporters were beaten up in front of us by the Trinamool Congress supporters but the policemen did not intervene. We will be filing a complaint with the police.”
Without naming the Trinamool, Bhuniya said he felt sad at the indisciplined act of a party that was clamouring for a political change in the state.
“There is of course the influence of a political party behind it (the attack). There were no red flags in the area but only tricolour ones. I feel sad to see such acts of indiscipline from the supporters of the party that is clamouring for the ousting of the Communist Party of India-Marxist to restore democracy,” said Bhuinya.
East Midnapore Superintendent of Police Ashok Biswas said he had not received any written complaint from the Congress leaders.
“We have not received any written complaint till now. More than 200 policemen were posted for the rally and we have not received information about any untoward incident. I personally went to the venue area for checking the arrangements but did not find anything amiss as alleged by the Congress leaders,” Biswas said.
Earlier on July 12, a Congress delegation led by Naidu was allegedly stopped by more than 100 armed Trinamool agitators about 15-20 km away from Khejuri bordering Nandigram.
The Trinamool supporters had also manhandled Dipak Maity, district president of Congress Sevadal, and damaged two vehicles.
Saturday’s incident comes only three days after the Congress leaders shared the dais with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata at a Martyrs’ Day rally organised by her party and called for consolidating the two party’s alliance to oust the state’s ruling Left Front from power.