BJP MP Arjun Singh outside the hospital on Sunday.TOP Officials of West Bengal Police on Monday defended Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Verma over Sunday’s violence in Barrackpore, saying that he had done a “remarkable” job, and accused BJP MP Arjun Singh of leading a “planned attack” on the police.
The BJP MP from Barrackpore had sustained head injuries during a clash with police in Jagaddal area of the district on Sunday. Singh had accused Verma of “nearly assassinating” him by beating him with a baton. But the police had rejected the charge, saying that the BJP MP was “injured by bricks thrown by his supporters”.
Addressing a press conference at the State Secretariat on Monday, ADG (Law & Order) Gyanwant Singh said, “The protest cannot be spontaneous. It was planned. The way the police and Commissioner Manoj Verma were attacked, it shows it was planned… Verma himself was leading the force and the mob was being led by BJP MP Arjun Singh.”
“Instead of withdrawing the protest, the mob hurled bombs and pelted stones at the police team. Initially, the police tried to stay calm but later they used mild force to disperse the mob… Verma requested him (Singh) to pacify the mob… They assembled there with a certain motive, and it cannot be spontaneous. Police started chasing the mob. People kept throwing bricks and stones from rooftops targeting the Police Commissioner and his team,” the ADG said.
“Verma requested Singh to stop his supporters from hurling bombs or throwing stones. Singh got injured perhaps because he fell and hit his head,” he added.
Meanwhile, BJP workers blocked roads and rail traffic at several places in North 24 Parganas district during a 12-hour bandh called by the party against the alleged attack on Singh. Party workers also demonstrated outside SP offices in other parts of the state against the Sunday’s clash.
There were reports of minor clashes between TMC and BJP workers as the latter tried to enforce the bandh in North 24-Parganas. Police arrested 46 people for disturbing peace.
