Nandigram in East Midnapore was on the boil on Thursday, just days before the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election.
The unrest follows the brutal killing of Rathibala Arhi, a female BJP worker and the injury of seven others in an attack on Wednesday night.
The miscreants after the attack allegedly torched some of the houses and shops of BJP supporters in the locality and fled the scene in the night.
In response to the violence, BJP supporters took to the streets in protest, blocking roads with felled trees and setting fires at places. Rapid Action Force, central forces, and local police have been deployed to restore order. A 12-hour Nandigram bandh was also observed and demand for immediate arrest of the culprits along with removal of Reyapara police outpost-in-charge was also raised.
As tension ran high, police had to resort to a lathi charge on the protesters to disperse them from the blocking and arrested a Trinamul Congress leader.
On hearing the incident, the BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari reached the hospital to enquire the condition of the injured party workers. Later, he went to the Nandigram police station and lodged a FIR against some Trinamul Congress men.
The incident has sparked a fierce blame game between the BJP and the ruling Trinamul Congress. The BJP accused the TMC of orchestrating the attack, while the TMC denied these allegations, attributing the violence to internal BJP conflicts.
“The incident occurred in the Sonachura area on Wednesday night. The deceased has been identified as Rathibala Arhi. One of the injured, in critical condition, has been transferred to Kolkata,” a senior police official reported. Local sources indicate that the critically injured individual is Arhi’s son, Sanjay Arhi.
Sources reveal that the attack happened while BJP supporters were guarding the Mansapukur market area during the final stretch of the election campaign. A group of assailants on motorcycles allegedly attacked them with sharp weapons. When Rathibala Arhi collapsed on the road, her son Sanjay attempted to defend her and sustained severe injuries.
Villagers, drawn by the victims’ screams, rushed to the scene, causing the attackers to flee. The injured were taken to Nandigram super specialty hospital, where Arhi was declared dead. Due to the deterioration of Sanjay Arhi’s condition, he was moved to a hospital in Kolkata.
Nandigram MLA Mr Adhikari blamed the TMC for the “barbaric murder,” labelling the attackers as “jihadists”. In a post on X, Adhikari stated, “The Trinamul committed this barbaric murder knowing defeat for sure. These jihadists do not hesitate to kill a woman.”
Conversely, TMC leaders dismissed the BJP’s claims, attributing the violence to internal strife within the BJP. TMC leader Swadesh Das asserted, “The incident is fallout of BJP infighting in Nandigram. There are two BJP groups in Nandigram. It is pre-planned, and they are maligning TMC.”
This incident coincides with a recent visit by TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to Nandigram. Mr Banerjee, who accused Mr Adhikari of electoral fraud in the 2021 elections, had declared that the people of Nandigram would deliver their verdict in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “The game that started in 2021 will end on 4 June,” he asserted.
Mr Adhikari, addressing a public meeting in Contai, blamed Mr Banerjee for instigating the violence and included him in the FIR. “The end result of this incident will not be good,” he warned.