Political violence: BJP and TMC engage in War of words

Warring parties continued to blame each other for Sandeshkhali violence on Sunday. The saffron party has called a 12-hour bandh in Basirhat and decided to observe "Black Day" throughout the state.

Sandeshkhali: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) continued to blame each other, even as three bodies were recovered and several others remained missing, following the violence in West Bengal.

The BJP tried to take the bodies of two of its supporters to Kolkata from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district, but the party leaders were stopped by police, leading to a heated exchange of words between the two sides.

The BJP leadership later decided to take the bodies to the village of the two slain party workers. Their last rites were performed at their village at night.

The saffron party has called a 12-hour bandh in Basirhat on Monday and decided to observe "Black Day" throughout the state, party sources said.

In an advisory to the West Bengal government, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs expressed "deep concern" over the continuing violence and asked it to maintain law and order. Both the state government and the ruling TMC criticised the Centre for the advisory.

Later in the night, the state government shot back a letter saying the situation in the state was under control and there was no failure on part of the state's law enforcement machinery.

Chief Medical Officer of Basirhat D Mukherjee said bodies of three persons were brought to Basirhat Hospital on Saturday night.

State BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu Saturday said three party workers - Sukanta Mondal, Pradip Mondal and Shankar Mondal were shot dead, while state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick maintained that TMC worker Kayoom Mollah was killed in the clash.

Police and the district administration have been tight-lipped about the incident and have not made any statement on the number of deaths.

A huge contingent of police is posted at Bhangipara village, which is under the Nyajat Police Station limits, where the clashes took place on Saturday evening during a TMC rally. Internet services have also been suspended at Nyajat.

TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said it is for the people to see what the BJP, which won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal was up to in the state.

Amid the altercation between the policemen and BJP leaders, party workers threatened to perform the last rites of the deceased men on the road and started to arrange a pyre.

"People should see whom they have voted for. The BJP is not interested in bringing investments to West Bengal or do any good, but is indulging in violence and creating lawlessness in the state," he said in Kolkata.

The BJP held meetings and rallies at several places in the state, including Kolkata, protesting the killing of its party workers and courted arrest.

At least 62 persons, including 11 women, were arrested in Kolkata, police said.

Sources in the TMC and the BJP had claimed on Saturday that the clashes broke out over the removal of the saffron party's flags in the area.

Local people said several shops and houses were ransacked during the violence, which broke out during a TMC procession.