Salboni (West Bengal). West Bengal minister Birbaha Hansda’s vehicle was attacked in Paschim Medinipur district on Friday. The officers provided this information. He said members of the Kurmi community allegedly pelted stones at the convoy of senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee, which also included the minister’s vehicle. The incident took place in Salboni where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to attend a party function on Saturday.
Abhishek Banerjee, who has ‘Z plus’ security, led a road show at Binpur and Gopiballavpur in Jhargram as part of his Trinamool Nabo Jwar (New Wave in Trinamool) campaign, a party leader said. He said that when he was passing through Salboni after the rally, members of the Kurmi community, protesting their demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, gathered on both sides of the road.
West Bengal | Supporters of the Kurmi tribe attacked the convoy of state minister Birbaha Hansda in Jhargram. Stones were pelted on the minister’s convoy after TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s convoy passed from the area. Further details awaited. pic.twitter.com/MddMKr6C4q
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2023
“As soon as their car moved ahead, they allegedly started pelting stones at the roadshow. Hansda’s vehicle, which was part of the convoy, was also damaged in the attack.
Officials said that a large number of police forces have been sent to the spot to control the situation. It was not immediately known whether anyone has been arrested in this connection. Condemning the incident, Hansda said that violence can never be a form of democratic protest. “It can never be a fight for the rights of any community. Those who pelted stones are all outsiders, and are claiming to be members of a particular community to justify the violence.”
Members of the Kurmi community had met Banerjee in Bankura on Tuesday and urged her to look into their demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The TMC MP from Diamond Harbor heard them patiently and said it was appropriate to hold a democratic protest for their demands.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Dilip Ghosh’s house in Kharagpur in West Medinipur was vandalized last week allegedly by members of a Kurmi organization over his comments against the community. The Kurmi community is currently classified as an OBC. The community protested for several days in April demanding ST status in various districts of the state, including Dakshin Dinajpur, Purulia, Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said the TMC leadership should introspect as to why such protests are taking place in the state. He alleged that there is anger among the people on many issues. “It is unfortunate that despite heavy security arrangements, such protests are taking place,” he said.
