The state BJP on Wednesday claimed that 363 party workers and leaders were injured and 30 of them admitted to different city hospitals with five being critical in the police action during its ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’ on Tuesday.
The party said it was preparing a report based on photographs and videos of police action and medical reports of the injured to highlight “police brutality” before the Calcutta High Court.
One of the injured BJP leaders and former deputy mayor Meena Devi Purohit, who has been admitted to a private city hospital, said, “I have never seen such a desperate police force. When we were agitating in front of our state office at Central Avenue, police arrived there suddenly and started charging batons. They hit us on our heads. I sustained injuries on my head and fell unconscious. After that, I don’t remember anything. When I regained, I found myself lying on this bed.”
On Wednesday, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim visited Purohit at the hospital and inquired about her health. Besides, many BJP leaders, including state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, also visited her.
Coming out of the hospital, Hakim said, “Our parties are different, but we have been working together for a long time. After learning about her injury, I came here to see her. She has suffered an injury on her head and I wished her a speedy recovery. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has inquired about her health.”
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, on the other hand, visited SSKM Hospital to inquire about the health of Kolkata Police’s Assistant Commissioner (Central Division) Debjit Chatterjee, who reportedly suffered a fracture in his right hand in the violence.
“I salute all officers of the police force for the manner they conducted themselves, for showing sheer patience, endurance and remaining under the ambit of the Constitution. If I were there, I might have opened fires targeting their heads,” Banerjee told reporters outside the hospital.
Criticising Abhishek, Majumdar, who visited different hospitals in Kolkata and Howrah to inquire about the health of injured party workers and leaders, said, “Today we heard terrible words from the mouth of Abhishek Banerjee. He explained the new grassroots. He is talking about shooting people in the head.”
Hitting back at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her statement that “goons of CPI(M) have changed their jerseys and joined BJP”, Majumdar said, “Jihadis of CPI(M) Shaukat Mollah and Razzak Mollah are now in TMC. They never joined in BJP.”
“I don’t want to hear about non-violence from those who (TMC) can vandalise the Assembly and can kill Maoists. You cannot stop our workers by arresting them. After the Durga Puja, BJP will start a Jail Bharo movement,” said Majumdar.
Reacting to the TMC and BJP’s statements, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “BJP’ s Nabanna Abhiyan was not a movement, it was basically a programme under the guidance of the state government. Abhishek Banerjee should stand in front of a mirror and he would see those now in TMC and roaming with him, were once with the BJP and those who are in the BJP now, were once in the TMC.”
Meanwhile, Majumdar and party’s state general secretary Jagannath Chatterjee resorted to a slideshow at a press conference held at the BJP state headquarters here to display “police brutality”.