BackDay after protest, BJP workers clash with Kolkata cops
Police use water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse the violent BJP protestorsIn the wake of clashes between BJP workers and the Kolkata police, West Bengal governor calls for an all-party meet on Thursday
PremiumNEW DELHI : A day after the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) observed a “black day" to protest the deaths of three party workers in post-poll violence, BJP cadres on Wednesday clashed with the Kolkata Police in a massive show of strength.
The protests turned violent within minutes, and the police had to use water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, which was trying to bring down the barricades on the approach road to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lal Bazar.
The Bharatiya Janata Party blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and chief minister Mamata Banerjee for Wednesday’s mayhem.
“We held a rally to protest the killing of our own men. The Mamata Banerjee government is trying to subvert democracy and the state police unleashed its fury on the protestors," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said in an interview.
On Saturday, three Bharatiya Janata Party and one Trinamool Congress workers had lost their lives in the North 24 Parganas district.
Following the clashes between BJP workers and the Kolkata police, West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi called for an all-party meeting at Raj Bhawan on Thursday at 4pm.
All major political parties in the state—the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM, the TMC and the BJP—were asked to attend the meeting to break the ongoing chain of violence after the general election results were announced on 23 May.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had gained significant vote share to win 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, while TMC held on to 22.
The CPM came up with a blank.
On Monday, Tripathi had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to discuss the situation in West Bengal.
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