West Bengal Governor to visit Dinhata

Kolkata, Mar 20 (PTI) West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose will visit Dinhata in Cooch Behar district on Wednesday which saw a clash between the supporters of TMC and BJP.

Bose will fly to Bagdogra on Wednesday afternoon and then travel to Dinhata.

Clashes broke out between TMC and BJP supporters at Dinhata in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on Tuesday evening after a public meeting addressed by Union MoS for Home Nisith Paramanik got over and a rally led by state minister Udayan Guha was about to begin nearby.

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 TMC’s rally venue.

In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said 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”.

The BJP Cooch Behar district leadership has called for gherao of the office of the superintendent of police in the afternoon.