Bombs thrown, shots fired at MLA Saokat Molla's car; MLA escapes unhurt

Tensions reached a boiling point in West Bengal’s Bhangar and Canning East regions on Saturday night after a convoy carrying Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Saokat Molla was allegedly targeted in a bomb attack. The incident occurred while Molla was traveling to Canning Town following a political meeting. The MLA claimed that his vehicle was not only pelted with bombs but that a round of gunfire was also directed at him, forcing him to take cover behind the car seat. Several vehicles in his convoy were reportedly vandalized during the ambush.

The violence originally flared up on Saturday evening in the Gazipur area of Bhangar over a dispute regarding wall-writing for election campaigning. Supporters of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and TMC clashed violently, with both sides accusing each other of erasing campaign slogans and forcibly occupying space. The physical confrontation left several workers from both parties injured, requiring some to be hospitalized in Kolkata. Two TMC vehicles were also damaged in the initial skirmish before the attack on the MLA’s convoy took place.

Saokat Mollahas directly blamed ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui for masterminding the attack to intimidate TMC workers ahead of the elections. However, Siddiqui has vehemently denied these allegations, calling the claims a fabrication intended to "poison the atmosphere." He has called for an impartial investigation into the violence. In response to the unrest, a heavy police contingent has been deployed across Bhangar and Canning to prevent further escalation, though no arrests have been made so far.