Tension has flared in West Bengal after a Kali idol was vandalised in Kakdwip, leading to a fierce political confrontation between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The controversy intensified following allegations that the damaged idol was transported away by police in a vehicle labelled by BJP leaders as a “prison van,” a move they condemned as a grave insult to Hindu faith.

Vandalism Sparks Community and Political Outrage

The incident occurred in Kakdwip, within the state’s South 24 Parganas district, where the idols of Goddess Kali and Lord Shiva were discovered severed at a local puja pandal on Wednesday morning. The discovery immediately drew a large, angry crowd of locals who attempted to carry the damaged idols to National Highway 117 to stage a blockade.

Police intervened to prevent the highway protest, resulting in a brief scuffle with the villagers. Following the unrest, additional security forces were deployed, and patrolling was intensified to maintain law and order.

BJP Alleges Conspiracy and ‘Assault on Bengal’s Soul’

The vandalism triggered a strong political reaction, with top BJP leaders alleging a wider conspiracy, blaming the state’s deteriorating law-and-order situation, and accusing the administration of attempting a cover-up.

Suvendu Adhikari Condemns Incident: Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari strongly condemned the act, claiming on social media that “jihadis cut off the head of the idol of Mother Kali.” He sharply criticised the state’s security, stating, “Don’t mistake the scene… for Bangladesh; this is the current state of West Bengal.”

Adhikari further alleged that the state administration was busy trying to “suppress the incident,” claiming police had initially “intimidated villagers and locked the temple doors,” only reopening them after significant public protest. He criticised the TMC government for its failure to make any arrests in connection with the incident.

Controversy Over ‘Prison Van’ Removal

The political attack reached a fever pitch over the way the police handled the damaged idol. Senior BJP figures, including Suvendu Adhikari, Amit Malviya, and Sukanta Majumdar, alleged that the Sundarbans District SP, Koteshwar Rao, had “fled” the scene with the broken idol of Maa Kali in a “prison van” accompanied by a large contingent of personnel.

Amit Malviya, co-in-charge of West Bengal, labelled the move an “insult to Hindu faith” and “an assault on Bengal’s soul.”

Sukanta Majumdar, the state BJP chief, called it a “disgraceful incident” and a result of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alleged “politics of appeasement toward hardline fundamentalists.”

Videos purporting to show the idol being placed in a police van were widely circulated by BJP leaders, although the authenticity of the footage could not be independently verified.

Police Refute ‘Misinformation’ and Detail Protest Handling

The West Bengal Police issued a detailed statement on the social media platform X, firmly denying the allegations and cautioning against the spread of “misinformation.”

The police confirmed the damage to the Kali idol and stated that efforts were underway to identify the person or persons responsible, promising “Stern action will be taken against those responsible.”

Addressing the protest, the police detailed that locals had blocked the national highway with the damaged idol, causing serious public inconvenience, including ambulances carrying patients being stuck. The statement explained that when agitators “did not relent and started pelting stones at the police, minimum force was resorted to by the police to disperse the mob,” after which the immersion of the idol was facilitated.

TMC Accuses BJP of Communal Agenda

A local TMC leader dismissed the opposition’s sharp reaction, accusing the BJP of “trying to communalise the incident and vitiate the atmosphere,” according to a news agency report. The TMC leader urged the police to conclude their investigation swiftly and condemned any attempts to disturb communal harmony in the area.

Security has been heightened across the region, and a full investigation is currently underway as authorities work to ensure peace and order.

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