Union Minister AHK Chowdhury alleges attack on convoy, TMC says he's lying

Miscreants on Tuesday opened fire and hurled bombs at Union Minister and Congress leader Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury’s car in Malda’s Kaliachak PS area in West Bengal. The incident occurred when Chowdhury was travelling with Congress supporters as a part of a rally. IBN-Live reported that the miscreants fired at least five blank shots at Chowdhury.  Chowdhury escaped unhurt but the rally was disrupted following the incident. “There were miscreants who kept firing at our car. But we didn’t leave midway. The gunmen were from the Trinamool Congress,” Chowdhury said. [caption id=“attachment_959153” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] . Image courtesy: Ibnlive[/caption] The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Congress sources claimed bullets were fired and bombs hurled by alleged Trinamool Congress workers at the rally which was held at Jadupur area and participated by Khan Chowdhury in support of its zilla parishad candidate for the ongoing panchayat polls. However, there was no casualty and none was injured in the attack and Khan Chowdhury was whisked away from the spot by his security personnel, the sources said. A complaint was later filed with the police at Kaliachak. When contacted District Magistrate G Kiran Kumar said miscreants burst fire crackers near the site of a party meeting at Narayanpur which was scheduled to be addressed by Khan Chowdhury. None was injured in the incident, he said. Neither the Superintendent of Police nor TMC could be contacted. At Jadupur, where the alleged took place, total 26 gram panchayat and panchayat samity seats have been already won unopposed by TMC. Trinamool Congress leader and Tourist minister Krishnendu Naryanan Chowdhury dubbed the attack on the central minister as baseless and said that he would resign from his ministry if the allegations were proved true. “There was no attack on him and neither was there any firing or bombs thrown targeting him. I will resign my ministry if the allegation is proved true, otherwise he must resign,” Narayan Chowdhury said. Claiming that the allegation was being made as the Congress was losing its grip in the area, he also said that the TMC would withdraw its candidates in the area if the charges were proved. Stating that Khan Chowdhury was being escorted by the police, he said that he would have rushed to the spot if the incident had taken place. “It is camouflage. In fact it is the Congress which in collusion with the CPI(M) is trying to create a reign of terror in the area,” he alleged. Another minister, Sabitri Mitra, from Malda district also claimed that the allegations were baseless. The Panchayat polls in West Bengal has made headlines because of the clashes and violence in the past week. Three persons, including the husband of a CPM candidate, were killed in violence during the second phase of the West Bengal panchayat elections on Monday. The polls were held yesterday in three districts where 30 percent polling was reported till noon. Burdwan alone accounted for the three deaths with Sheikh Hasmat, the husband of a CPM candidate Monowara Bibi, being killed in a bomb attack at Jamuria in Madhudanga gram Panchayat, police sources said. Another man, Rajkuma Kora, was lynched by a mob in the same panchayat area, they said. The third person, Kata Mullick, was killed in a bomb attack before the Hijjona panchayat office in Mangalkote area, the sources said. CPM candidate Siddhartha Banerjee for the Panuria gram panchayat was injured after being allegedly beaten up by Trinamool Congress supporters, sources told PTI. With inputs from PTI