Bengal Guv visits Dinhata, says violence won’t be tolerated

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Wednesday visited Dinhata in Cooch Behar district where a clash between supporters of TMC and BJP broke out a day before, and said violence during elections will not be tolerated.The clash broke out between TMC and BJP supporters in the north Bengal district on Tuesday evening after a public meeting addressed by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Paramanik got over and a rally led by state minister Udayan Guha was about to begin nearby.Violence will not be tolerated.

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Wednesday visited Dinhata in Cooch Behar district where a clash between supporters of TMC and BJP broke out a day before, and said violence during elections will not be tolerated.

The clash broke out between TMC and BJP supporters in the north Bengal district on Tuesday evening after a public meeting addressed by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Paramanik got over and a rally led by state minister Udayan Guha was about to begin nearby.

“Violence will not be tolerated. Violence has no place in democracy. Dinhata doesn’t want violence,” the governor said after visiting the area.

The incident happened in the Dinhata Bazar area around 8.30 pm on Tuesday when Pramanik, the local BJP MP, was on his way out after attending the meeting. The TMC was also scheduled to hold a meeting a few metres away from the spot.

Pramanik claimed that when his convoy was leaving the area, stones were hurled from the venue of the TMC's rally. He alleged that Guha, the North Bengal Development Minister, took the lead in beating up BJP activists and instructing the police to arrest them.

Guha rejected the allegations as ''baseless'' and claimed that BJP supporters threw stones at the venue of the TMC rally.

According to a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday night, the governor had sought a report from the state police chief on the veracity of the incident.

Meanwhile, the 12-hour Dinhata shutdown call by Guha evoked a mixed response as normal life was partially affected in the area.

The TMC state leadership said the shutdown has been called by Guha in his personal capacity and is not supported by the party, which is against the ''culture of shutdown and bandhs''.

As part of a gherao programme, BJP activists marched towards the office of the superintendent of police and demanded immediate arrest of those involved in Tuesday's violence.

During the programme, BJP activists broke the police barricades and shouted slogans against the TMC.

The police initially found it difficult to control the saffron party workers, but later used force to disperse them.