BJP candidate accused of inciting security staff to attack TMC worker
Cooch Behar: Allegations have been levelled against Ajay Roy, the BJP candidate for the Dinhata Assembly Constituency, accusing him of attempting to instigate his body guards, who are Central Armed Police Force personnel, to attack a Trinamool Congress worker during an election campaign.
Following the incident, the Trinamool Congress lodged a complaint at Dinhata Police Station against Roy and the Central Force personnel assigned for his security. The party also alleged police inaction.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred on Thursday when Roy was on his way to campaign in Ward No. 12 of Dinhata town. At the same time, Rana Banik, vice-president of the Dinhata Village-I Gram Panchayat and a Trinamool Congress leader, was heading towards his residence in the area. It is alleged that Roy’s vehicle suddenly stopped, following which Central Forces personnel stepped out and issued threats.
Banik claimed that Roy got down from his vehicle, verbally abused him and threatened physical assault. He further alleged that Roy instructed his security personnel to advance, after which they rushed towards him with raised firearms and threatened to kill him.
A formal complaint was subsequently filed at Dinhata Police Station under the leadership of Sayantan Guha, general secretary of the Cooch Behar district Trinamool Congress. Guha alleged that police personnel were present during the incident but failed to act appropriately. The Trinamool Congress also claimed to have released CCTV footage and audio recordings of the episode.
Refuting the allegations, BJP candidate Ajay Roy challenged his accusers to produce evidence. He alleged that earlier in the day, Trinamool supporters led by Rana Banik had assaulted BJP Mandal vice-president Shyamal Bhowmik. “Should we garland those who carried out the assault?” Roy said, adding that he had gone to visit the injured party worker and that Banik began hurling abuses at him from a distance as he was leaving. “It was then that I, along with my security personnel, stepped out of the vehicle,” he stated.
