Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday warned the people of Bengal that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will create uproar by instigating riots in the state. Addressing a rally in Purulia, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said, “Do rallies and meetings but do not riot. It is they (BJP) who will create riots. Voting is on 19th April and they will riot on 17th April. Lord Ram does not ask you to riot but these people will riot and by rioting they will bring NIA into the state.
The statement comes days after the attack on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bhupatinagar in West Bengal's East Midnapore district, when officials had reached there to investigate the 2022 blast case at the house of a Trinamool Congress leader.
When asked about the incident, Mamata Banerjee alleged that NIA is working for BJP. “Why did they raid at midnight? Did he have police permission? The local people reacted the same way they would have if any other stranger had arrived at the place in the middle of the night. Why are they arresting people just before the elections? Does BJP think that it will arrest every booth agent? What rights does NIA have? They are doing all this to support BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this dirty politics of BJP,” Banerjee said.
According to reports, bricks were thrown at the NIA team's vehicle. The incident occurred around 5.30 am when local people surrounded the vehicle and pelted stones at it. A senior police officer said that the NIA has said that one of its officers has also been injured.
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A team of NIA officers arrested two people in connection with the case this morning and they were returning to Kolkata when the vehicle was attacked, news agency PTI reported.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also lodged a police complaint in this regard. Police said that a large contingent of Central Police Force has reached Bhupatinagar, where the NIA team is also present along with the two arrested people.