CPIM blames BJP for party office blaze in Bengal's West Midnapore

KOLKATA: A CPI(M) office in Chandrakona in West Midnapore district of West Bengal was allegedly ransacked and set on fire allegedly by the ruling BJP workers escalating political tension in the area on Monday.

The local BJP leadership denied the allegation and said no party worker was involved in the incident.

The CPI(M) alleged that a group of BJP workers attacked its party office on Chandrakona Road, ransacked it, threw documents outside and then set the office on fire.

The incident occurred after the CPI(M) organised a rally and procession on Chandrakona Road to protest against the deletion of voters' names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the rise in prices of essential commodities and petroleum products, and the inclusion of all women under the Annapurna Bhandar social security scheme.

CPI(M) West Midnapore district secretary Bijoy Pal, former district secretary Susanta Ghosh, state committee member Shatarup Ghosh and other leaders attended the programme.

The party alleged that BJP workers attacked the office minutes after the procession began and later set it on fire.

Police from Garbeta police station reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

“The BJP goons should have torched the offices of the ED and CBI probing the Saradha and Narada scams so that files in connection with Suvendu Adhikari’s involvement in the two cases could have been gutted. But they have done a mistake by setting fire in our party office. It’s useless to attack out party office,” Shatarup told the media.

BJP’s Jhargram district organising secretary Goutam Kouri rejected the allegation.

“BJP has no involvement in the incident of fire, which might have broken out when the CPIM men were cooking inside their party office. It’s their game plan to involve BJP,” he said.

The CPI(M) also alleged that BJP workers attacked another programme organised by the party at Madpur in Kharagpur Rural area of West Midnapore district.