NEW DELHI: Clashes broke out between supporters of the TMC and the BJP near Girish Park in central Kolkata on Saturday, about 5 km from the Brigade Parade Ground where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a rally later in the day. A police officer and a BJP leader were injured in the violence, officials said. The confrontation took place barely half an hour before Modi’s rally, which marks the culmination of the BJP’s statewide ‘Parivartan Yatra’ ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. Amid the violence, allegations also surfaced that stones were thrown towards the residence of West Bengal minister Shashi Panja in the Girish Park area.
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According to eyewitnesses, supporters of both parties pelted stones at each other and raised slogans during the clash. BJP supporters alleged that the attack began while they were heading towards the rally venue and raising slogans in support of the prime minister. “Stones were thrown at us without any provocation. They also abused us,” a BJP activist told a Bengali news channel. The BJP claimed that several vehicles were damaged during the clash. Local TMC workers rejected the allegation and said BJP supporters had first hurled abuses and started pelting stones. They also alleged that stones were thrown at the residences of local TMC leaders during the incident. A large police contingent rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. During his visit to West Bengal, the prime minister is also scheduled to unveil and lay the foundation stones of development projects worth more than Rs 18,000 crore.
