Tension in West Bengal: Mob attacks police for arresting TMC worker in Sandeshkhali; 6 cops injured

KOLKATA: Six police personnel were injured after a mob attacked them while they were arresting a Trinamool Congress (TMC) activist in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali area of North 24 Parganas district police said on Saturday.The injured policemen, including an officer, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and later discharged. A team from Nazat police station went to Boyermari village in the Sandeshkhali block on Friday night to arrest TMC activist Musa Mollah.According to police, as they took him from his house and placed him in a police vehicle, a group of villagers allegedly began pelting stones and damaged the vehicle.Police said Mollah was arrested on charges of forcibly taking control of local water bodies for pisciculture. Due to the attack, he could be taken to the police station only after additional force reached the spot and dispersed the mob.Apart from Mollah, two local TMC leaders, including the gram panchayat pradhan, were detained for allegedly instigating the violence, the officer added.The incident comes nearly a year after an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team was attacked in the same area on January 5, 2024, while attempting to raid the residence of TMC strongman and Zilla Parishad member Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam. Shahjahan was later arrested by the CBI and is currently in judicial custody.Reacting to the incident, BJP leader Sajal Ghosh said the attack reflected the “desperation and brazenness” of TMC activists under the Mamata Banerjee government.“From the attack on ED officials two years back to the attack on state police now, the pattern remains the same. Will the state police muster the courage to stand up against the ruling party and take appropriate action?” he asked.TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty condemned the incident, saying, “The attack on the police was deplorable, and the party does not support such activities. Whatever action the police take will have our support.