Clash breaks out between BJP, Trinamool workers in Coochbehar, offices vandalised

Workers of the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed in the Coochbehar district of West Bengal, police said. According to reports, workers of both the parties hurled petrol bombs at each other.  

Visuals show offices of both the parties in the area were vandalised and set ablaze. Police resorted to cane-charging in order to bring the mob under control. Several people have received injuries in the incident. 

A specialised wing of the Indian CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) along with the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were called in.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has urged the Union Home Ministry to reconsider its decision of entrusting the CRPF with the security of Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The state government has, in a letter to the MHA dated October 21, also sought to know why it was not consulted before the decision was taken to hand over the governor’s security to the CRPF.

“It is the responsibility of the state government to look after the security of the governor since he is the constitutional head of the state.

“The state government has provided him with ‘Z’ category security since the first day of his appointment.  Then why did the MHA suddenly decide to entrust the CRPF with his security without consulting us?” a senior state government official told PTI, wishing not to be named.

Sources in the governor’s office said a communication was sent to the state government to upgrade his security from Z to Z+ category after his vehicle was blocked at Jadavpur University by students when he had gone there to ‘rescue’ Union Minister Babul Supriyo in September.

Supriyo was shown black flags, heckled and mobbed by students of Left-leaning organisations who tried to prevent him from addressing an event of the ABVP, the students wing of the RSS.