A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker died and several other others, together with some policemen, had been injured in pitched battles at Siliguri in north Bengal on Monday afternoon when senior nationwide and state leaders of the party had been main a rally.

The police lobbed tear fuel shells and used water cannons to stop BJP employees and leaders from transferring in the direction of Uttar Kanya, the state secretariat in north Bengal, violating prohibitory orders below Section 144 Code of Criminal Procedure. The police additionally used a pink dye within the water to mark the agitators. The authorities accused them of resorting to violence and arson.

The rally was a part of the BJP’s ongoing agitation programmes towards the Trinamool Congress (TMC) authorities within the run-up to the meeting polls due early subsequent 12 months.

BJP’s nationwide normal secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, nationwide secretary Arvind Menon, state president Dilip Ghosh and several other Lok Sabha members took half within the rally. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) nationwide president and Bangalore South Lok Sabha member Tejasvi Surya and state BJYM president Saumitra Khan fell unwell after inhaling tear fuel. The party mentioned 40 employees, together with six girls, had been injured.

To mark its protest, the BJP will observe a 12-hour bandh on Tuesday within the north Bengal districts the place it gained seven of the area’s eight Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

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BJP employees held agitations in Nadia, East Burdwan, Howrah, Kolkata and several other different districts on Monday night.

Senior party leaders additionally met governor Jagdeep Dhankhar in Kolkata and demanded a judicial probe into the demise of Ulen Rai, 50, a BJP worker from Gajoldoba in Jalpaiguri district. He died at a personal hospital shortly after sustaining an damage within the chest. There was confusion over the reason for his demise. While some BJP leaders claimed that he was hit by police batons, others mentioned he was shot with a pellet gun.

“Today in Siliguri, serious acts of violence were committed by the supporters of a political party during their protest program. They resorted to arson, brick-batting, firing and vandalism of govt property. Police showed restraint and didn’t do lathicharge or used firearms. Only water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse the violent crowd. However, death of a person has been reported. Body is being sent for PM (post mortem examination). The actual cause of death will be known only after the PM,” the West Bengal Police tweeted within the night.

Governor Dhankhar reacted sharply to the tweet of the state police.

“Am stunned and shocked at this judgmental stance @WBPolice. With such a finding recorded and disseminated in public domain there can be no semblance of fair investigation @MamataOfficial ! Alarming scenario: Political neutrality being thrown to winds for political hatchet work,” the governor tweeted round 9 pm.

Earlier within the night, he tweeted, “Political violence @MamataOfficial is a cause of alarming concern as it poses threat to democracy. Administration and police @WBPolice must desist from partisan stance and act in political neutral manner. Level playing field to opposition can’t be left to mercy of police.”

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BJP and BYJM employees, who had been main two processions from reverse instructions, had been noticed pelting stones on the police after they had been stopped from transferring in the direction of Uttar Kanya.

The clashes occurred in no less than 4 locations, together with Tinbatti More and Phoolbari Bazar. Several girls within the processions fell unwell after inhaling the tear fuel. “In no state will you see the government crushing a peaceful democratic movement in this manner. Constitutional experts need to take a note of this,” Surya mentioned after the violence.

“Most of our leaders and party workers were stopped by the police at different locations so that we could not join the processions. Barricades were set up at 52 locations,” mentioned state BJP normal secretary Sayantan Basu who accompanied Dilip Ghosh.

“The incident was a public display of the violence the BJP believes in. Its workers provoked the police to open fire. I thank the police for handling the situation. The BJP will fail to create disturbance in the state,” mentioned Saugata Roy, TMC Lok Sabha member and party spokesperson.

The BJYM employees vandalized two metal and bamboo barricades and a police outpost. They additionally set two bamboo barricades on hearth. Journalists overlaying the rally had been caught within the center when BJYM employees showered stones on the Rapid Action Force of the district police.

“Every party has the right to carry out agitations. However, I cannot say what prompted the police to fire tear gas shells,” mentioned state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury.

Tuesday’s violence was comparable to the one witnessed in and round Kolkata on October 8 when as many as 24 BJP leaders, together with Vijayvargiya and Menon, had been booked by the Kolkata Police for violating Central pointers on gatherings and political rallies throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and marching in the direction of Nabanna, the secretariat within the adjoining Howrah district.

The BJYM organised the ‘Nabanna Chalo’ (march to Nabanna) programme to increase voice on points starting from alleged lack of employment alternatives in Bengal to regulation and order issues. BJP and BJYM leaders claimed that round 1,500 employees had been injured throughout the baton cost.