Kolkata, Sep 28 (IANS): A clash between two groups at a prominent Durga Puja committee in south Kolkata’s Haridevpur left a few people injured late on Sunday night, with club members alleging that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers were behind the attack, the police said on Monday.
The Police said several miscreants allegedly entered the Ajeya Sanghati Club premises around midnight and assaulted some members. Club members alleged that the attackers vandalised the premises and took away the CCTV drives.
One of the injured, club member Arijit Nandi, was allegedly beaten and suffered a head injury. After the attack, Nandi and others, in a bloodied condition, went to the residence of local councillor Ratna Sur and took shelter there. CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced.
Nandi said the attack was not related to politics and alleged that outsiders were attempting to take control of the club.
“It is not because of any political colour that the club that we built. Little by little, we made the puja bigger. Now some outsiders are trying to take control of the club. They vandalised the premises and have taken all the CCTV drives,” he said.
Nandi added that he was less concerned about his injuries than the future of the club and its Durga Puja celebrations.
Meanwhile, councillor Ratna Sur accused the police of inaction and alleged political motives behind the incident. She claimed that she repeatedly called the officer-in-charge of Haridevpur police station but received no response.
Sur said that BJP workers had earlier targeted the homes of Trinamool Congress workers and shut shops, but alleged that the latest incident had taken the political conflict into the club and its Puja preparations.
Reacting to the allegations, state Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh said it had become easy to blame the BJP because it was now in power. He said the BJP had no responsibility or interest in the incident and attributed the violence to Bengal’s long history of political clashes.
“The politics of violence has been going on in Bengal for 50 years. The issue has seeped into the blood of the people. It will take time to get it out,” Ghosh said.
The police have started an investigation based on a complaint lodged by the club authorities.
The incident comes before Durga Puja, raising concerns among club members over preparations at the venue.
