Shantanu Thakur, the BJP candidate in Bengal’s Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency, and two other party workers sustained injuries after their car collided head-on with a vehicle around noon on Saturday.

The accident took place at Hanspur under Gaighata police station around 60 km from Kolkata.

“The car that hit Shantanu Thakur’s vehicle was a police car on duty. Thakur and his two co-passengers were admitted to Bongaon sub-divisional hospital,” said Pradip Banerjee, the BJP president of North 24 Parganas district.

“We are trying to find out what actually happened and whose fault it was. We are talking to drivers of both the vehicles. So far nobody has been arrested,” news agency PTI quoted a West Bengal police officer as saying.

The driver was the only occupant of the car that hit Thakur’s car. It also had a police sticker.

Saturday was the last day of campaigning in Bongaon seat that will go to polls on Monday.

Thakur was going to Kalyani when the accident took place. Immediately afterwards, angry BJP supporters vandalised the car that hit Thakur’s vehicle, alleging that it had deliberately hit their candidate’s car.

“I have heard about the incident and the allegation. I have no comments on this absurd claim. Let there be an investigation,” said Mamatabala Thakur, the Trinamool Congress candidate of Bongaon constituency.

Thakur was going to Kalyani when the accident took place. Immediately afterwards, angry BJP supporters vandalised the car that hit Thakur’s vehicle, alleging that it had deliberately hit their candidate’s car. ( Photo: ANI )

Thakur is the grandson of the late Binapani Thakur, who was the matriarch of the Matua community, a scheduled caste community who are more than 3-million strong and who have mostly migrated from Bangladesh since Independence.

The family is split along political lines with Thakur’s aunt-in-law Mamatabala Thakur contesting from the same constituency on a Trinamool Congress ticket.

In another development, Tojammel Ansari (48), husband of Jahannara Bibi, Trinamool Congress councillor of ward 7 of Domkal municipality in Murshidabad district, succumbed to his injuries in a Kolkata hospital on Friday night.

Ansari had sustained head injuries when he was attacked with sticks and bamboos on the morning of April 23, when polling had just began.

Pradip Chaki, the vice-chairman of Domkal municipality, said, “Ansari was an active member of our party. He had an altercation with Congress supporters over the appointment of the polling agent in a booth at Maniknagar Primary School.”

“An FIR was registered against 25 persons and attempt to murder was slapped against them. They will now face murder charges. We have arrested five of the accused,” said an officer of Domkal police station that is under Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Ansari was the second person to lose his life in Bengal in election-related violence in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Incidentally, the first victim was Tiyarul Kalam (55), who was attacked with sharp weapons in a place under Ranitala police station in Murshidabad district.

(With agency inputs)

First Published: May 04, 2019 16:44 IST