Kolkata, 3 Jan

Six police personnel were injured after a mob attacked them while arresting a Trinamool Congress (TMC) activist in the Sandeshkhali area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, an officer said on Saturday.

A team from Nazat police station had gone to Boyermari village in Sandeshkhali block on Friday night to arrest TMC activist Musa Mollah. As the police picked him up from his residence and placed him in the vehicle, a group of villagers allegedly pelted stones, damaging the police van and injuring six personnel, including an officer.

All the injured policemen were taken to a local hospital, treated and later discharged.

Mollah was arrested on charges of forcibly taking over local waterbodies for pisciculture. He could be brought to the police station only after reinforcements were rushed to the spot and the mob was dispersed, the officer said.

Two local TMC leaders, including the gram panchayat pradhan, were also detained for allegedly instigating the attack on the police.

The incident comes against the backdrop of a previous attack in the same area. On January 5, 2024, an Enforcement Directorate team was assaulted while raiding the residence of local TMC strongman and Zilla Parishad member Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam. Shahjahan was later arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation and is currently in judicial custody.

Reacting to the latest incident, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sajal Ghosh said the attack reflected the “desperation and brazenness” of TMC activists under Mamata Banerjee’s rule.

TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty condemned the violence, saying the party does not support attacks on the police and would back any lawful action taken by the authorities