VIOLENCE IN TUFANGANJ

Tufanganj : Clash during Trinamul bandh, CPM calls bandh tomorrow

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 21: A number of clashes took place in Tufanganj sub-division in Cooch Behar district during the Trinamul Congress sponsored 24-hour bandh today. More than one hundred persons including policemen were injured. Protesting the alleged Trinamul design to disrupt peace the CPI-M called a 12-hour bandh in Tufanganj sub-division tomorrow. Cooch Behar DM sought a report over today's violence and he is to call an all-party meeting within a day or two.

 

It may be recalled that the Trinamul Congress called a 24-hour bandh in Tufanganj sub-division today demanding steps against the police personnel who were allegedly involved in assaulting villagers at Deocharai and Bharaber-tari. Yesterday morning two Trinamul supporters were allegedly received bullet injury. The CPI-M had declared that they would oppose the bandh.

 

Today, clashes occurred between pro-bandh and CPI-M supporters at different places like Tufanganj SDO office, Tufanganj hospital and Deocharai market. A number of shops were ransacked in the market area. Police had to fire teargas shells to disperse the warring groups at Deocharai market. Among the injured there are Natabari MLA Md Tamser Ali (CPI-M), district CPI-M secretariat member Mrs Jaba Pal, Trinamul leader Mr Ratan Das and Tufanganj-I Panchayat Samity sabhapati Ms Dipali Roy (Trinamul). Both the parties brought complaints against one another for attacking their supporters.

 

District magistrate of Cooch Behar Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha said he would call an all-party meeting within a day or two to bring back normalcy in Tufanganj. He denied making any comment over today's incident, as he is yet to receive any report from the police.

 

Following the trouble roadblocks were held at different places along the NH-31 disrupting vehicular traffic between Assam and West Bengal during the day. A large contingent of police force was deployment in the sub-division to maintain peace.

 

District Trinamul Congress vice-president Mr Niranjan Dutta alleged that Natabari MLA Md Tamser Ali and CPI-M leader Mrs Jaba Pal led the attacks on Trinamul Congress supporters at Deocharai market and Tufanganj SDO office resulting injury of many of their men.

 

On the otherhand, district CPI-M secretary Mr Chandi Pal blamed the Trinamul Congress for today's trouble. He alleged that the Trinamul Congress called today's bandh only to disrupt peace because no one was injured in police firing. The allegation was baseless, he claimed. As the convenor of the district Left Front he declared that they would observe a 12-hour bandh tomorrow in Tufanganj sub-division as a mark of protest to the Trinamul design to breach peace. Protest rallies will also be organised tomorrow in the district, he added. []