CPI(M) rallies on Saturday came under violent attacks in the Bengal districts of Birbhum and West Midnapore and a former MLA was subjected to abject humiliation when he was forced to hold his ears and
CPI(M) rallies on Saturday came under violent attacks in the Bengal districts of Birbhum and West Midnapore and a former MLA was subjected to abject humiliation when he was forced to hold his ears and declare in public that he would quit his party. Only a day ago, a rally which was led by CPI(M) state secretary and leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra was attacked in his own Assembly constituency of West Midnapore.
However, on Friday the attack was not violent: there was only heckling, jostling and pushing. The attacks on Saturday on the other hand were brutal leaving nearly half a dozen CPI(M) leaders with fractured limbs and bleeding heads. CPI(M) blamed Trinamul Congress workers for these attacks. Trinamul Congress denied the charges. “The Trinamul Congress has become jittery by the support our jathas (padyatras) are receiving. They may attack but they cannot stop our jathas.
The more they will attack, the more will grow the people’s resistance,” Mr Mishra said. Denying his party workers’ role in the attacks, TMC Birbhum president Anubrata Mondal claimed it was the fallout of CPI(M) factional feud. In Birbhum’s Mayureshwar, when a CPI(M) jatha which was being led by former MP and party’s central committee member Ramchandra Dom came under attack at Sathpolsa. “The assailants started thrashing us with bamboo sticks and rods not even sparing elderly and women,” Mr Dom said, adding that the police sitting in their vehicle did not come to their rescue.
In this attack, local sitting MLA Ashok Roy, former legislator Dhirendranath Let, Anup Bag, Gokul Ghosh, Farida Rahman and Mr Dom were grievously injured. CPI(M) leaders and cadres ran for cover in panic. However it was Mr Let whose situation was most pathetic. He had suffered a head injury and was bleeding when he was surrounded by a few men who abused him and asked him to give a verbal undertaking that he would no more participate in any CPI(M) movement.
