CPI(M) claims BJP workers vandalised its Cooch Behar office after CEC protest

Kolkata: The CPI(M) has accused BJP workers of attacking and demolishing its party office in Cooch Behar’s Mathabhanga block hours after a permitted protest march demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police say no written complaint has been lodged yet and an inquiry will begin only after one is received.

The alleged vandalism occurred on Saturday night in the Jorpatki area of Mathabhanga No I Block in North Bengal. Earlier that evening, the CPI(M)’s Jorpatki Area Committee held a procession in Golakganj Bazar with police permission, pressing for the removal and punishment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, immediate inclusion of eligible voters in the electoral roll, inclusion of remaining beneficiaries under the Annapurna Yojana along with payment of ₹3,000 per month to women, and curbing rising prices of essential commodities.

Party workers reportedly held a discussion at the office for about an hour after the march, locked up and left, only to find the premises attacked and ransacked a few hours later, with interior items vandalised.

CPI(M) district member Moksedul Islam said the procession was lawful and that the subsequent attack was aimed at intimidating the party. In West Bengal, instead of establishing the rule of law, they are trying to establish rule by the ruler, he alleged, adding that a formal complaint would be filed.

BJP district committee member and former Mandal No 2 president Rajib Sarkar denied any involvement, calling the allegations wild. If the CPI(M)’s party office were to be vandalised, then the BJP would not have had to wait five months after the formation of the government, he said, asserting that people voted for the BJP to bring change.

Local police stated that, as of Sunday, no written complaint had been received regarding the attack or vandalism, and an investigation would be initiated once a complaint is formally lodged.

(Inputs from IANS)