Bengal officers summoned over attack on BJP Chief’s convoy

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has summoned two top Bengal officials over the attack on the BJP party chief JP Nadda’s convoy on Thursday. The Home Ministry has summoned the state’s Chief Secretary and police chief on Monday.

“Both chief secretary and Director General of Police have been summoned on December 14 over the deteriorating law and order situation,” said a senior home ministry official.

The Home Minister has also asked for a report from the Bengal government over what he called “sponsored violence” after Nadda’s convoy was attacked with bricks, stones and sticks near Kolkata. Some leaders were injured and cars were damaged in the incident. The BJP says this is the work of supporters of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

Shah may travel to Kolkata on 19 and 20 December.

The Chief Minister has accused the BJP of staging the attack and falsely accusing her party men. She has called this a political conspiracy in the run-up to the Bengal election in six months.

When the incident took place, Nadda’s convoy was on its way to Diamond Harbour, the parliamentary constituency of the Chief Minister’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee. The cars were attacked with rocks and sticks by a mob allegedly of Trinamool supporters.

“Bengal has descended into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness under the Trinamool rule. The manner in which political violence has been institutionalised and brought to the extreme in West Bengal under TMC rule is sad and worrying,” tweeted Shah.