Union Minister claims attacked by TMC goons in Bengal

Kolkata: Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan alleged his vehicle convoy was targeted and attacked by locals at Panchkuri village in West Midnapore district during his visit to the state today. He shared a video of the attack on Twitter and called the vandals "the goons of Trinamool Congress."

"I went to West Midnapore to meet party workers who have been attacked and their homes were vandalised. I was moving from one house to another with my convoy and then all of a sudden a group of people started charging towards us and attacked," Muraleedharan said.

"I am safe, but my driver was injured, few car windows were also smashed," the minister said.

The Union Minister and BJP leader, Prakash Javadekar called this a state-sponsored violence.

"If a minister's convoy can be attacked, then who is safe in Bengal? This is state-sponsored violence. We condemn violence in Bengal. Special measures should be taken to bring the culprits to justice," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

BJP chief JP Nadda, who is also in the state on a two-day visit to look into the violence, has claimed that 14 BJP workers have been killed and nearly one lakh people have fled their homes and has accused CM Mamata Banerjee of instigating violence in the state.