Congress accuses Trinamool of ‘attacking’ delegation

KOLKATA - A Congress delegation was allegedly “forcibly” prevented by alleged Trinamool Congress supporters from entering Khejuri in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district Monday.

The delegation was led by All India Youth Congress general secretary Usha Naidu who alleged that more than 100 armed agitators belonging to the Trinamool Congress stopped them at Miya More, some 15-20 km away from Khejuri, bordering Nandigram.

They also manhandled Dipak Maity, district president of Congress Sevadal, in front of the police and damaged two vehicles including that of the party’s district president.

“The agitators equipped with iron rods, and tank containing petrol blocked the road leading to Khejuri at Miya More. They prevented us from entering Khejuri, where a party meeting was scheduled Monday morning. They threatened to set us ablaze after pouring petrol on us, if we proceed further towards Nandigram,” Naidu told IANS over phone.

“Our programme was pre-scheduled and the district administration was informed about it, but they did not take any security measures to avoid such an untoward incident,” said Naidu.

“We were surprised to find the police acting as mere spectators even when Dipak was taken out of the vehicle and manhandled. Being helpless and apprehending that Trinamool supporters may attack our supporters, we decide to retreat,” Naidu said.

“In the past 30 years more than 20,000 Congress supporters were killed in Bengal, so without further delay we came back to Heria police station and lodged a complaint,” she said.

“We also informed All India Youth Congress president Rahul Gandhi and state’s pradesh Congress chief Manas Bhuniya,” said Naidu.

She said the Congress delegation would again visit Khejuri in the next one or two days.

“We retreated today as we were in a hurry to attend another party meeting at Ramnagar in the same district in the afternoon. We will surely visit Khejuri within one or two days and hold our party meeting,” she said.

Superintendent of Police, East Midnapore, Ashok Biswas told IANS that a case of “wrongful prevention” has been initiated against those responsible for the incident following a complaint lodged by the Congress delegation.

“The complaint made by the delegation at the Heria police station did not name anybody. We have to identify and arrest the culprits,” he said.

Biswas said the Trinamool activists had objected to the Congress holding a meeting in their area saying they would not allow outsiders to do so “as their security could be endangered”.

They also asked the delegation why they had not taken permission from the Trinamool leadership for the meeting.

Biswas, however, described as “exaggerated” the Congress’ allegation that police had been silent observers during the incident.

“As per information with us, the mob was between 100-200 strong. We cannot fire on such a large mob. That would have compounded the problems”.