Bengal elections: BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour ‘thrashed with sticks’, hospitalized

New Delhi: In yet another incident of violence during the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections, a BJP candidate from Diamond Harbour area was beaten up by a mob following which he has been hospitalized.

Dipak Haldar, the BJP candidate and his supporters were allegedly thrashed in South 24 Parganas district while they were campaigning for next phase of polls this morning, the police said.

While Dipak Halder was campaigning in Haridebpur area, a group of people got engaged in heated exchange with his supporters. Following the verbal altercation, Dipak Halder and his supporters were allegedly thrashed with sticks, police said.

Mr Halder, a former Trinamool MLA who recently joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections, has been admitted to a hospital following the attack.

“He complained of chest pain and other problems. He is being attended by the doctors,” a senior police officer told news agency PTI.

Injured supporters of the BJP candidate were also admitted to the hospital.

BJP alleges TMC conspiracy

Following the ‘fatal’ attack on its candidate, BJP alleged that Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress was behind the attack, a charge dismissed by the ruling party.

Trinamool has claimed that the attack on the BJP candidate was a result of infighting as the party’s old-timers were not happy with Dipak Halder’s candidature.

Diamond Harbour is also the Lok Sabha constituency of Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.