Alleged communal incidents and vandalism erupt in Bengal day after BJP's assembly win
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BJP secured 207 of 294 seats in West Bengal's assembly elections, defeating Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) and ending its 15-year rule, results showed on Monday. Tuesday saw reports of intimidation and vandalism linked to BJP workers, which the party denied, blaming TMC infighting.
In Barasat's Moyna area, BJP workers removed a "Masjid Bari Road" nameplate and replaced it with "Netaji Pally Road", India Today reported. BJP leader Nitish Mondal called it a long-standing demand: "We have been requesting this for the last 10-15 years, but could not do it. So the people of the area spontaneously took part and changed the name." Of the 15,000 residents living in the area, the Muslim population is about 500 to 1,000
In Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, BJP workers allegedly ordered a biryani shop near a temple to relocate, Alt News reported. A video showed a flag-bearing man telling staff: "If we did this outside a mosque, you would feel bad too." TMC claimed on social media: "Flag-bearing BJP thugs are going door to door, threatening non-veg shops and biryani sellers, ordering them to shut down, relocate, and erase their names. This is not a rumour. This is happening in Bengal, today, right now."
In Murshidabad, BJP workers allegedly broke into Lalbagh Eidgah—a disputed waqf property—shouting "Jai Shri Ram" and damaging barricades ordered intact by court, Alt News said. CPI(M) leader Zamir Molla reported police inaction; a mosque committee filed a complaint.
In Kolkata's New Market, a mob with BJP flags used a bulldozer to raze structures, including a TMC office, videos showed. TMC's Derek O'Brien alleged it targeted meat shops, with central forces idle. Police deployed afterwards, boosting security.
TMC accused BJP of enabling violence, including a worker's murder. BJP countered that perpetrators were TMC rivals misusing their flags.
DGP Siddh Nath Gupta said over 200 FIRs were filed, 433 arrested in violence cases, and 1,100 under preventive sections. "No untoward incident has taken place since this [Wednesday] morning," he noted, confirming two deaths in Nanoor and New Town.
In Paschim Medinipur, SP Papiya Sultana reported 162 arrests: "And if anyone dares to create unrest, then we will be stricter. Everyone from the police to the constables has been told, regardless of who won or lost, that the job of the police is to protect the common man."