A group of youths attacked and vandalised a bookstall set up by the CPM during Durga Puja in Islampur, North Dinajpur district, on Tuesday night.
Some CPM leaders and workers were also assaulted during the incident.
The attack took place in front of the government bus terminus in Islampur, barely 250 metres from the police station. The CPM has directly blamed the BJP for the incident. The BJP, however, has denied the allegations.
The CPM has been setting up a bookstall near the terminus during Durga Puja for nearly two decades. This year, following the change in the state’s political landscape, the BJP erected a tent on the opposite side of the road, almost directly across from the CPM stall.
Ahead of the Puja, the CPM bookstall was inaugurated. On Tuesday, around 8.30pm, a group of eight to 10 youths, armed with sticks, allegedly stormed into the stall and damaged books, chairs and tables.
Gouranga Barman, a resident of Islampur and a member of the CPM’s district committee, said that since the first day of the festival, provocative speeches had been delivered over loudspeakers from the BJP’s tent.
“We informed the police and the administration in writing about our bookstall in advance. From the very first day, provocative speeches were being made over loudspeakers from the BJP tent set up opposite our stall. They intended to provoke us into reacting so that they could create an issue and instigate a confrontation,” Barman said. “CPM workers had been instructed not to give in to the provocation, but the speeches went on. We suspect they (the BJP) are behind the attack.”
Barman claimed the attackers took advantage of the fact that most CPM workers left the stall around 8pm on Tuesday to visit Durga Puja pandals with their families. The few CPM leaders and workers present at the stall tried to resist the attackers, but were beaten up with sticks.
Jayanta Roy, the zonal secretary of All Bengal Teachers’ Association, suffered a head injury. Timir Roy, a retired teacher, suffered an injury to his hand. Veteran leader Swapan Guha Niyogi and four other party workers were
also injured.
Then, the attackers fled.
Barman said they lodged a complaint with the police.
Surajit Sen, a BJP district secretary based in Islampur, condemned the incident but rejected the CPM’s allegations.
“We condemn this incident. The police should investigate and find out who carried out the attack. The CPM is making false allegations against us. Its bookstall had been operating in front of us for four days. If we had wanted to stop it, we could have done so on the very first day,” Sen said.