A video went viral on Friday that showed a group of seers being stripped and assaulted by a mob in the Purulia district of West Bengal. Reacting to the incident involving the assault of seers in the Purulia district of West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Saturday claimed that the BJP has “imported troublemakers” from neighbouring States to harass pilgrims and sadhus ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The viral video showed a group of sadhus purportedly stripped and assaulted by a mob in the Purulia district.
Three seers on their way to Gangasagar Mela were stopped by a mob and assaulted near Gourangdih in Purulia district. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared the purported video of the incident on social media and alleged that the attackers were linked to the Trinamool Congress, a charge refuted by the ruling party.
“The Government of West Bengal has long successfully organized the Gangasagar Mela without there being any mishaps,” TMC state spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya said in a social media post on X.
“Now, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, BJP has imported troublemakers from neighbouring States to harass pilgrims and sadhus,” he added.
Drawing parallels with past incidents, the spokesperson mentioned the brandishing of a gun by a 19-year-old during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah last year, which led to communal violence in the area. The youth, identified as Sumit Shaw, was later arrested from Munger in Bihar.
“This is reminiscent of their past actions, such as hiring 19-year-old Sumit Shaw to sow chaos during Ram Navami processions before the Panchayat elections,” Bhattacharya said.
“The police will conduct a thorough investigation, and those responsible for this disruptive political strategy will be brought to justice!” he wrote.
Earlier today, Purulia district police issued a statement saying “facts are being misrepresented from certain quarters”.
“The fact is, on 11.01.24 afternoon, there was a misunderstanding between three Gangasagar-bound sadhus with three local minor girls near Kashipur over language problem. The girls got scared and local people manhandled the sadhus and damaged their vehicle, alleging a kidnapping attempt. Local police promptly intervened and rescued the sadhus,” police said.
A total of 12 people have been arrested in connection with the case, Abhijit Banerjee, Purulia Superintendent of Police, told The Sunday Guardian. BJP MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato today met sadhus who were assaulted by the mob, offered them shelter and escorts to take them to Gangasagar. The fracas triggered another showdown between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress.
The BJP has hit out at the Trinamool Congress saying the law-and-order machinery has broken down. Several BJP leaders have also taken to the social media platform X to condemn the alleged attack on Sadhus.
Outraged by the Purulia incident! Sadhus en route to Gangasagar brutally attacked-shocking evidence of deteriorating safety under TMC. Mamata’s regime shields terrorists like Shahjahan Sheikh, while sadhus face brutal lynching. A grim reality for Hindus in Bengal. Locket Chatterjee, BJP MP from Hooghly said. Officials said that the Sadhus were asked repeatedly if they wanted to file a complaint, but they refused.