BJP, local police clash in West Bengal over defying COVID-19 lockdown for bhoomi poojan celebrations

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers clashed with police in several parts of West Bengal over defying COVID-19 lockdown to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, The Indian Express reported.

According to the report, clashes were reported in places such as Kharagpur in West Midnapore district, North 24 Parganas and Narayanpur among others.

A scuffle broke out between the police and the saffron party's workers in Kharagpur reportedly after the police stopped a procession being led by BJP workers.

"Nearly nine BJP workers have been arrested for violating lockdown norms. Some policemen were also injured," a senior police officer said.

The report states that BJP workers also alleged the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters of firing shots at local residents while they were preparing for bhoomi poojan in the morning. A senior police officer told the newspaper that 10 people have been arrested in this connection.

"Some miscreants tried to disrupt the puja organised by local people. They said local TMC leader Tapas Chatterjee was behind it. We had been requesting the state government to change the date of the complete biweekly lockdown, but our pleas fell on deaf ears," West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.

"When devotees of lord Ram wanted to celebrate the day in a small way in Bengal, they were stopped by police. The TMC government has deliberately disregarded the sentiments of the Hindus in the state," Ghosh added.

"Lord Ram belongs to all. The BJP is trying to show that it belongs only to them. This is not right. This occasion of bhoomi pujan definitely calls for celebration. But in the backdrop of the present crisis, people need to be cautious and take precautions," TMC Member of Parliament (MP) Sougata Roy said.

While workers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the BJP celebrated in Kolkata with pujas, in Alipurduar, BJP workers were stopped since a complete lockdown was enforced in the town. Senior BJP leaders from the state also performed pujas in their houses to mark the occasion.