BJP workers clash with police in West Bengal; saffron party prevented from holding 'Vijay Sankalp' rally

Kolkata: BJP workers clashed with the police at several places of West Bengal Sunday as the saffron party was prevented from holding its ‘Vijay Sankalp’ motorbike rally. Police said they prevented the rallies as permission had not been granted to them because of the ongoing school board examinations. The ‘Vijay Sankalp’ bike rally is part of the BJP’s countrywide pre-poll exercise to establish contact with people. [caption id=“attachment_5242561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Clashes between BJP workers and policemen took place at Durgapur and Asansol in West Burdwan district, Midnapore town and Goaltore in West Midnapore, and Balurghat in South Dinajpur when they took out the motorcycle rallies. At Goaltore, a DSP level officer and four other policemen were injured, police sources in West Midnapore said. The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the saffron party workers at Asansol and Goaltore leaving some people from both sides injured. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of using the police and administration to prevent the party workers from holding peaceful rallies out of fear of losing political ground in West Bengal. Claiming that it is a new BJP in the state which will not take intimidation lying down, Ghosh said if the TMC leaders think they can frighten saffron party workers by using force, then they are mistaken. “Hundreds of Sankalp yatras were arrested…. It will be held even if the police arrest us,” Ghosh said in the morning at Durgapur. Saffron party leaders engaged in arguments with police in the city as they were prevented from taking out rallies owing the lack of permission. An officer of Kolkata Police said 135 persons were arrested and 59 motorcycles were seized from different places of the city as a preventive measure.