Bengal: TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh's car attacked in Hooghly district
What's the story
In West Bengal's Hooghly district on Saturday, a mob attacked the car of MLA Kunal Ghosh of the Mamata Banerjee faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The incident occurred when Ghosh was en route to a rally organized by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, NDTV reported. A video of the incident shows an angry crowd surrounding Ghosh's vehicle, throwing eggs and stones while chanting slogans demanding his return. The rear windshield of the car was also damaged during the attack.
Aftermath
'This is jungle raj'
After the incident, Ghosh was forced to return to Kolkata due to the damage caused to his vehicle.
He expressed his discontent over the absence of police personnel during the incident and said he would file a complaint at Lal Bazaar or Bhawani Bhawan.
"This is jungle raj," he was quoted as saying, adding that no police were present at the time of the attack.
Accusations
TMC accuses BJP
TMC leaders have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating the attack.
Banerjee alleged that the BJP was trying to prevent people from attending her rally, adding, "Such things don't even happen in African countries."
Party leader Asit Majumdar called it a "pre-planned attack by the BJP," not a protest by common people.
Counterclaim
BJP calls it a spontaneous response from the public
However, Uttarpara BJP MLA Dipanjan Chakraborty called the incident a "spontaneous response from the public."
This incident is part of a series of egg attacks on Trinamool leaders since their defeat in May's Bengal elections.
The TMC has blamed these attacks on the BJP, while the ruling party claims they are expressions of public anger against "corrupt" Trinamool leaders.
History
Similar incident involving MP Mahua Moitra
Earlier this month, TMC MP Mahua Moitra was also targeted in an egg-pelting protest by alleged BJP workers after a political meeting in Tehatta, Nadia district.
Taking note, the Calcutta High Court had stepped into multiple related incidents, asking the state government to report on actions taken against egg attacks.