Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday alleged that supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used a bulldozer to demolish several meat shops in Kolkata’s New Market area during victory celebrations, describing the incident as “hooliganism.”
The party, led by Mamata Banerjee, also accused central forces of remaining inactive during the alleged incident, which it said took place on Tuesday night.
The phrase “bulldozer justice” had been prominently used by Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders during the recent West Bengal Assembly election campaign, asserting that illegal encroachments would be removed if the party came to power.
In a post on X, the TMC stated, “BJP’s ‘Poriborton’ (change) has arrived, and it has arrived with a bulldozer.” The party alleged that groups of BJP supporters went on a rampage near the New Market area, damaging shops and vandalising a Trinamool Congress office. It also shared a video of the purported incident, calling it a “celebration of a party that spoke of trust and delivered terror.” PTI, however, said it could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The TMC further claimed that the episode reflected a “pattern of intimidation” following the declaration of election results. “Before elections: Bhoy (fear) out, Bharosa (trust) in… After elections: Bharosa out, Bulldozer in,” the party said, warning that such incidents could set a “dangerous precedent” for law and order in the state.
It also alleged that central armed police forces present at the scene did not intervene and had been instructed to “stand down.”
The BJP, which secured a landslide victory with 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly—ending the TMC’s 15-year rule—has not issued an immediate official response to the specific allegations.
However, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya and other party leaders maintained that they do not support any form of violence or revenge. “We are asking police and security forces to take action against anyone trying to disrupt peace and law and order in the name of celebrations,” Bhattacharya said.
Meanwhile, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien also highlighted the alleged incident in a social media post, claiming that a bulldozer was brought in with police permission during celebrations to demolish meat shops, while central armed police forces stood by.
A senior police officer, however, stated that although a gathering took place in the area to celebrate the BJP’s victory, both police and central forces were present and no untoward incident occurred.
With PTI inputs