One of the houses set on fire in UluberiaHouses Set On Fire, 2 Cops Among 6 Injured: Rupak Banerjee, TNN.
Uluberia: Petrol bombs flew like fireworks at Tehatta Kataberiya under Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency on Monday, burning haystacks, potato sheds and four houses. The violence left six people, including two constables, injured.
The Hindu-dominated Kayalpara turned into a battle zone late in the evening with the trouble spreading to adjoining villages now beyond police outreach. The violence is a pointer to what may be in store in the run-up to the Lok Sabha bypoll on January 29.
Tehatta Kataberiya is the area that witnessed communal tension in 2017 when students of a Tehatta school were denied permission for Saraswati Puja, months after the school authorities prevented Muslim students to observe Nabi Diwas to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad.
Gaining support at Tehatta, BJP had allegedly gone into a campaign with religious overtones, pointing to the candidates of all other parties — Trinamool, CPM and Congress — who belonged to the minority community. Trinamool organisers alleged that BJP activists had taken to graffiti on these lines but they couldn’t substantiate the charge because they whitewashed the walls.
Trouble began when BJP supporters passing by a Trinamool party office to an election meeting at Gangarampur allegedly made lewd gestures at men and women sitting inside the party office and also tore off Mamata Banerjee’s poster.Gaurav Sharma, SP (rural) Howrah, reached the spot with police and RAF. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to control the situation.
A heated exchange that soon led to a scuffle turned into full-fledged violence in no time. TMC supporters threw bricks from the roadside at BJP supporters. Soon, petrol bombs flew from either side and set four houses on fire. Biplab Dalui, a BJP activist, suffered severe burns and is critical. Later BJP supporters retaliated by torching the house of a TMC supporter.
BJP leader Mukul Roy then led a rally for five kilometres from the troubled spot under Uluberia south assembly segment to a local Kali temple under Uluberia east assembly segment, adding fuel to the tension. “The voice of the opposition is being muzzled. I will take up the matter with the Election Commission. Today’s incident is enough evidence why the state needs central forces during the bypoll,” Roy said.
Trinamool leader Pulak Roy vehemently denied charges. “The allegations are false and it all started after BJP workers defaced a poster of the chief minister and abused our workers. It is a preplanned attack masterminded by Mukul Roy,” he said.
Campaigning for Shri Anupam Mallick(BJP Candidate for Uluberia Bye-Election).
Road Show at Amta and Bagnan Assembly Area:Manpur More-Joypur More-Kajiberia-Bholsar Village- Joypur. People of "Uluberia Parliamentary Constituency" are waiting to #Vote4BJP, Huge response from people.