Front Page   

Union Minister attacked in West Bengal

By Our Special Correspondent

The Union Minister, Tapan Sikdar, showing the stone thrown at his car at Kalpul in Bengal on Monday. — Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

KOLKATA MAY 5. The Union Minister and BJP leader, Tapan Sikdar, was injured today when his convoy was attacked by a large group of villagers in Kalpul in North 24-parganas of West Bengal where he had gone to campaign for the party's candidates contesting the May 11 panchayat elections.

The attackers assaulted the Minister and damaged his car as he was returning from an election meeting at Kalpul near Barasat.

The Inspector-General of Police, Chayan Mukherjee, said the attack followed a clash between workers of the BJP and the CPI (M) at Kalpul in which three persons from each party were injured.

"I had a narrow escape due to the timely intervention of my security staff. My convoy was attacked by CPI (M) activists as I was going to my constituency for campaigning for the pancahayt poll," Mr. Sikdar said. He said he had received injuries in the neck.

Meanwhile, the CPI (M) rubbished Mr. Sikdar's claim saying the violence occurred at the instigation of the Minister and his supporters who had accompanied him .

"I regret the incident. It should not have happened. But, the fact is that the Minister and his supporters provoked violence. I do not think that any CPI (M) worker was involved in the incident. But the Minister and his supporters should not have acted the way they did in a Left-dominated village," the CPI (M) State secretary, Anil Biswas, said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Lok Sabha to take up Women's Bill today
• All-party meet authorises Jamali to respond 'appropriately'
• Solve Kashmir, sign no-war pact: Musharraf
• Union Minister attacked in West Bengal
• Decision on VAT likely today
• Antony stand leaves Cong. red in the face
• Parliament approves Electricity Bill
• Ex-judge granted interim bail
• "No WHO-defined SARS cases in India"
• Amitabh among the greatest
• 1 killed in Doda blast

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu