Road, rail traffic disrupted in Bengal; fresh scuffles between

BJP activists blocked road and rail traffic at several places on Monday during a 12-hour bandh called by the party in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district to protest attacks on its leaders, police said. Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, meanwhile, visited BJP MP from Barrackpore Arjun Singh, who is recuperating at a private hospital after he suffered injuries during a protest on Sunday, and expressed concern over the law and order situation in the state.

"I was in Delhi. I cut short my visit to meet Arjun Singh this morning as there has been a serious incident. I am worried at the moment," Dhankar told reporters. Shops and other business establishments remained closed during the day, causing inconvenience to people.

Fresh scuffles broke out between police and BJP workers at Lakuthi and on Barrackpore-Barasat Road when protesters tried to forcibly cross barricades. According to a senior officer at Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, some BJP workers and policemen were injured in the melee.

Naihati-Chinsurah ferry services were also affected as agitators demonstrated at jetties. The BJP on Sunday gave a call for a 12-hour bandh to protest alleged attacks on its leaders, including the Sunday's assault on MP Arjun Singh.

Singh claimed Barrackpore police commissioner Manoj Verma struck him, causing a gash on his head, while he and his supporters were holding a "peaceful protest" at Kankinara in the district against the "capture" of its party office by Trinamool Congress (TMC) activists. After meeting Singh, the governor said,"I am in pain looking at all this violence. I feel pain when something happens to teachers, doctors, lawyers and journalists." West Bengal is witnessing an unending spiral of violence since the Lok Sabha polls.

In the northern fringes of Kolkata, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh was reportedly heckled by the ruling party supporters on Friday. On the same day, Bongaon North MLA Biswajit Das, who recently switched over to the BJP from the TMC, was also allegedly assaulted, while he was on his way to the Assembly.

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