Kolkata: Kolkata Police have arrested Shivam Singh, son of BJP leader Rakesh Singh, in connection with the vandalism of the Pradesh Congress headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan, which took place on Friday.
Rakesh Singh, one of the prime accused, was seen in video footage leading a group of BJP workers during the attack and remains absconding. On Friday, Rakesh and several BJP workers reached the Pradesh Congress office in Entally and smeared black ink on a cutout of Rahul Gandhi.
When Congress workers protested, the BJP group allegedly broke the main gate of Bidhan Bhavan and vandalised the interior of the office. Pictures of Congress leaders were painted with black ink and party flags were torn and set on fire. Police arrived shortly thereafter and brought the situation under control.
Earlier, three BJP workers close to Rakesh were arrested. On Saturday, police took Shivam Singh into custody. Following the arrest, Rakesh, from an undisclosed location, shared a video on social media claiming that his son had been targeted because authorities failed to catch him. Rakesh also stated that he intends to approach the High Court against the police.
The attack comes in the backdrop of derogatory remarks made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother during the
Congress’s ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in Patna. In response, Rakesh and his associates attacked Bidhan Bhavan. While en route to the Congress office, Rakesh went live on social media, declaring: “Whatever happens today, after this, such
opposition against Congressmen will be seen across the entire country.” Condemning the incident, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “What happened at the Congress office is unacceptable. This is BJP’s culture.
While ideological differences exist, vandalising a party office and damaging leaders’ pictures cannot be condoned. Political debate can continue, but such behaviour
is unjustified.”