Even as the two parties came together for the grand Opposition alliance against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary on Sunday lashed out at the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal over the prevailing law and order situation, which has come to the forefront in light of a viral video from Malda district.

While a united Opposition railed against the Centre and the BJP government over a viral video from Manipur, purportedly showing two women being paraded in the nude, a similar clip surfaced from the Malda district of West Bengal. In the clip, shared on Twitter by the BJP’s IT Cell head, Amit Malviya, two tribal women were purportedly shown as being disrobed, tortured, and beaten up.

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The viral clip triggered a fierce war of words between the ruling TMC and the Opposition in Bengal.

Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Adhir came down heavily on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying law and order in Bengal has spiralled further south and the Malda incident is the latest illustration of the same.

Claiming that crimes against women were on the rise in Bengal, the Congress’s Bengal chief demanded that the perpetrators behind the Malda incident be identified and brought to justice.

“The law and order situation has worsened and the Malda incident comes as the latest illustration of the same. Not just Malda, many other places in Bengal have seen atrocities after the panchayat elections. I am disheartened and distressed over the rising crimes against women in Bengal and strict action should be taken against the perpetrators (behind the Malda incident),” the Congress Lok Sabha MP said.

Earlier, on Saturday, Malviya shared the clip from Malda claiming it to be from an incident, which took place at Pakua Hat, a weekly market in the Bamangola police station area of Malda, on July 19.

“The horror continues in West Bengal. Two Tribal women were stripped naked, tortured, and beaten mercilessly, while police remained mute spectators in the Pakua Hat area of Bamangola Police Station, Malda,” Malviya tweeted.

“The horrific incident took place on the morning of July 19th. The women belonged to a socially marginalised community and had a frenzied mob baying for her blood…,” added Malviya, who is the BJP’s in-charge for West Bengal.

Tearing into the Bengal CM, Malviya posted, “It had all the makings of a tragedy that should have ‘broken’ Mamata Banerjee’s heart and she, instead of merely outraging, could have acted, since she is also the Home Minister of Bengal.”

Instead, he alleged, the Bengal chief minister “chose to do nothing”