Violence in Jagaddal before PM Modi’s visit: BJP-TMC clash, MLA’s residence bombed, 3 injured

Kolkata: Hours before PM Modi addressed a rally in Jagaddal in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Monday, a clash broke out between TMC and BJP workers barely 400 meters from the venue, which escalated into firing, stone pelting and crude bomb attacks, in which a CISF jawan was injured by a bullet.Six others were also injured. Jawan Yogesh Sharma has been taken to a private hospital.Police have arrested four people including TMC councilor Gopal Raut. EC has asked for a report.BJP’s Noapara candidate Rajesh Kumar said the unrest started when he went to Jagaddal police station to lodge an FIR against CM Mamata Banerjee. He alleged that the police refused to register it and a mob of around 200 people belonging to TMC stormed the station and attacked them, forcing the police to “flee from the spot”.Trinamool candidate Amit Singh disputed his statement. “We had gone to file a complaint against the BJP for attacking our workers. We were attacked first. Arjun Singh (former BJP MP) reached there and pushed everyone, as seen in the CCTV footage, and violence broke out,” he said.BJP workers alleged that TMC-supported miscreants targeted the residence of Arjun’s son and Bhatpara candidate Pawan Singh with stones and bullets. A CISF jawan who was part of his security squad was shot in the leg.Police said a mob of about 200 people entered the police station and later attacked a candidate’s residence with explosives and firearms.Arjun said Trinamool candidate Somnath Shyam and Barrackpore MP Partha Bhowmik led the miscreants in the planned attack to disrupt the PM’s rally. “Bullets were fired and bombs were thrown at Pawan Singh’s house,” he said. Shyam, in turn, accused Arjun Singh of bringing in “miscreants”.Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that the crowd got agitated due to the visit of a candidate.