Tensions escalated in Mukundapur on Tuesday evening following a clash during a protest march organised by the Mamata Trinamool Congress faction over alleged attacks and attempts to take control of party offices. Former IPS officer and Trinamool leader Humayun Kabir was later injured in an alleged assault outside the Purba Jadavpur police station.
The incident has triggered a fresh political confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP, with both sides offering sharply different accounts of how the violence began.
Clash Breaks Out During Protest March
According to the Trinamool faction, its leaders and workers organised the march to protest the alleged occupation of a party office in the area. The procession reportedly encountered BJP supporters, leading to a confrontation.
The party alleged that one of its workers was recording the procession when he was attacked, following which a clash broke out.
Trinamool leader Upasana Chowdhury alleged that members of the procession were attacked during the confrontation. She further alleged that some women were manhandled and that police resorted to a lathi charge to bring the situation under control.
Several party workers and leaders were subsequently taken to the Purba Jadavpur police station, according to the Trinamool faction.
Humayun Kabir Alleges Assault Outside Police Station
Later in the evening, several Trinamool leaders, including Humayun Kabir, reached the police station. Kabir said he had gone there to meet party colleagues who had been detained.
Kabir alleged that he was assaulted outside the main gate of the police station. In a statement shared on social media, he claimed that he was dragged, thrown to the ground and beaten in the presence of a large number of police personnel.
“I was beaten in front of around 50 police personnel. I politely said that I wanted to go inside. Suddenly, I was dragged and thrown down in front of the police station. I was bleeding heavily. I have served for 31 years, but I have never witnessed anything like this,” Kabir said.
He alleged that he had gone to the police station to seek the release of party colleague Vaishwanar Chatterjee when he was attacked.
Trinamool Leaders Condemn Incident
The Trinamool leadership strongly condemned the alleged assault.
Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien alleged on X that BJP-backed miscreants were responsible for attacks on the residence and vehicle of the party’s IT cell head, Upasana Chowdhury, and questioned the police response.
Another Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP, Samirul Islam, also condemned the alleged attacks on party workers and questioned the action taken by the police. He alleged that the incidents represented an attack on democratic rights and demanded action against those responsible.
BJP Rejects Political Attack Allegation
The BJP rejected the Trinamool’s allegations of a politically motivated attack.
BJP spokesperson Saptarshi Chowdhury claimed that the incident was linked to an internal dispute within the ruling party rather than an attack organised by the BJP.
“Let the police investigate the matter impartially. Only then will the actual truth come out,” Chowdhury said.
