Barrackpore, West Bengal – The festive atmosphere of Durga Puja was shattered by an outbreak of alleged violence in Jagaddal, North 24 Parganas, as Barrackpore Ex-BJP MP Arjun Singh claimed his house-cum-office was targeted by miscreants who hurled bombs and fired bullets nearby, during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The area, located very close to Singh’s ‘Mazdur Bhavan’ residence at Meghna More, is now under heavy police deployment.
Puja Pandal Gathering Attacked
The incident reportedly originated near a local Durga Puja pandal where residents were sitting. According to initial reports, a confrontation began after “outsiders” arrived and started verbally abusing the local people. When the locals protested the harassment, the situation quickly escalated into violence.
Miscreants allegedly hurled crude bombs and later fired bullets at the site of the gathering. The violence also resulted in the vandalism of a car, sparking widespread fear and tension among the local community.
MP Singh Alleges Police Inaction and Political Conspiracy
Senior BJP leader Arjun Singh, the former MP for Barrackpore, described the scene he witnessed upon hearing the commotion around 1 a.m.
“Yesterday at around 1 am, I was watching TV, suddenly I heard noises from outside and saw the police trying to convince some people,” Singh claimed. “I saw some of them were throwing bricks and stones and abusing the locals. Later I heard that the local people of a puja mandal were sitting nearby, some jihadis came there and started abusing them.”
Singh was highly critical of the law enforcement presence, alleging that police personnel were “trying to convince the miscreants, instead of arresting them.” He further stated, “A police motorcycle was on the scene and a bomb was thrown in front of it and the police were fleeing the site. Along with this, the car of local BJP leader Sanjay Singh was vandalized.” Singh claimed he personally went down to chase the miscreants.
The BJP leader went on to allege a larger political motive behind the attack, suggesting that the timing amidst the festival was intentional. “In fact, an effort is being made to suppress the BJP in the entire Bengal under the orders of Mamata Banerjee,” he alleged. “If jihadis enter the pandals during the puja and create any disturbance, there will be a reaction to this and Mamata Banerjee wants this.”
He concluded by claiming the violence was pre-planned: “These all are being planned. If it weren’t for me, the police might have been shot too. The lower level police are actually in a lot of trouble.”
Rapid Action Force Deployed
In the aftermath of the disturbance, police personnel and the ‘Rapid Action Force’ (RAF) from Jagaddal police station were immediately pressed into service to secure the area. Authorities are investigating the incident. CCTV footage from the area reportedly shows the group of miscreants entering, fleeing, and hurling stones.