At least 8 cops suffer injury during BJP-TMC clash in South 24 Pgs' Basanti

Violence erupted in the Basanti area of South 24 Parganas on Thursday morning during a campaign rally by BJP candidate Vikas Sardar. The unrest began at Basanti Bazar when alleged Trinamool Congress (TMC) affiliates reportedly obstructed the BJP’s outreach program. When local police intervened and advised the BJP to halt the campaign to prevent a law-and-order situation, the atmosphere turned volatile. Supporters of both parties soon engaged in a fierce confrontation, turning the marketplace into a battlefield of stone-pelting and stick-wielding mobs.

The situation escalated rapidly as the police attempted to separate the warring factions. In the ensuing melee, at least 8 police personnel sustained injuries while trying to bring the crowd under control. BJP candidate Vikas Sardar was forced to flee the scene and reportedly took shelter at a local Bharat Sevashram Sangh building to escape the violence. While the BJP maintains that they were targeted by TMC "miscreants" for simply exercising their right to campaign, the TMC has denied involvement, attributing the incident to "spontaneous public anger" against the opposition party.

Basanti remains tense following the incident, with a heavy police contingent deployed to prevent further flare-ups. The BJP has accused the uniformed personnel of bias for attempting to stop their scheduled program instead of providing protection against the attackers. Conversely, local TMC leaders claimed that the BJP was trying to incite provocation in a peaceful area. This clash adds to the growing list of violent incidents marking the lead-up to the two-phase assembly elections scheduled for late April.