Farmers Movement Archive

3 critical after fire partly guts Trinamool’s Sabang office

Midnapore: Six Trinamool Congress members sustained moderate to severe burns in a fire that partially gutted the party’s office in Sabang, West Midnapore, on Friday afternoon. At least 20 bikes, parked in front of the building, were also charred before fire tenders from Kharagpur arrived at the site in Mohar and brought the blaze under control. Among the six injured, party leaders Subal Roy, Prasad Adhikari and Lalmohan Bhuiyan are admitted to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, and their condition is said to be critical. The incident, which took place around 4pm and soon after BJP leader Bharati Ghosh left Sabang following a party programme in support of the farm laws in neighbouring Burul village, has sparked a blame game. Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha member and district coordinator Manas Bhuiyan squarely blamed the saffron party. “BJP men armed with guns attacked our party office. It happened after BJP leaders made inciting remarks at a gathering in a nearby village,” the MP said. BJP’s Ghatal president Antara Bhattacharya called the allegations baseless. “I fear it (the fire) is an inside job. Someone from Trinamool did it,” she said. The BJP leader also accused Trinamool supporters of accosting and beating up her party workers bound for the Burul meeting. “We had initially sought police permission to hold a meeting at Mohar, but were denied the same. So, we held the programme at Burul. But, Trinamool goons nevertheless blocked and beat up our supporters on their way to the meeting,” she said.

The Times of India

2020-10-03

Kolkata