Kolkata, October 6 (Daily Kiran) : Tensions erupted in Kolkata’s North 24 Parganas district as two factions of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed over alleged extortion activities. The incident, which took place on October 6, resulted in the arrest of two local BJP leaders for protesting outside a police station late Monday night.
According to police reports, the altercation occurred in Khardah, part of the Barrackpore industrial area. Three BJP workers sustained injuries during the skirmish. Local authorities responded quickly to the scene, managing to control the situation. However, BJP supporters later gathered outside the police station to express their outrage.
This incident highlights ongoing factional strife within the BJP, occurring just five months after the party came to power in West Bengal. The dispute reportedly centers around extortion claims linked to a fish farming center in the Patulia area of the Khardah assembly constituency. Reports indicate that a bomb was thrown during the escalating conflict at a local health center. Despite this, one faction within the BJP has dismissed the notion that the violence stems from internal party rivalries.
BJP leader Indranil Kumar Das stated that tensions had been building for some time over extortion claims at the fish farming center. He accused Himadri Sikdar, the vice president of Khardah Mandal-3, of collecting money from the center monthly.
Das claimed that a confrontation began when he questioned Sikdar about the alleged extortion, leading to a physical altercation that spilled into public view, causing unrest among local residents.
During the clash, it was alleged that a bomb was thrown. BJP workers contended that the violence erupted in response to their objections against the extortion practices. They further claimed that rival faction members threw bombs at the health center when the injured were taken there.
Following reports of the violence, police from the Rahara station arrived to restore order. Subsequently, BJP workers congregated outside the station to protest the incident.
Police later arrested Indranil Kumar Das and Himadri Sikdar. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the violence and identifying those responsible.
In the aftermath of the clashes, both factions have exchanged accusations. Supporters of Sikdar alleged that Das falsely claims to be a BJP leader without any real ties to the party. They also suggested that some individuals who previously supported the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are now using the BJP’s name to engage in extortion.
Das refuted these claims, asserting that he had served as an election agent for state minister Kalyan Mukherjee and had never worked for the TMC. He alleged that Sikdar was indeed collecting money from the fish farming center.
Das further mentioned that Mukherjee had been informed of the alleged extortion and had urged him to intervene. The police investigation into the matter is ongoing.
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