Cooch Behar (WB), Aug 5: The convoy of Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, came under attack, described by the BJP as a “murderous attempt”, allegedly by TMC supporters during a protest programme in Cooch Behar on Tuesday, sparking widespread tension in the North Bengal district.
The Trinamool Congress, however, rubbished the allegations and called it a “well-scripted drama” by the BJP to hog the headlines ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
The bulletproof glasses of the vehicle in which Adhikari and former Union minister Nisith Pramanik were travelling were smashed during the assault in the Khagrabari area of Cooch Behar.
A police escort vehicle was also vandalised, with its window panes shattered, prompting the BJP to call it a “murderous attempt” carried out in full public view, allegedly with police inaction.
Following the incident, the Union Home Ministry officials talked to Adhikari and Pramanik over the phone.
According to sources, Adhikari told officials that “if it weren’t for the bulletproof vehicle, I could have been killed today.
Armed with a Calcutta High Court order, Adhikari had travelled to the restive district to lead a BJP rally and stage a demonstration outside the office of the Cooch Behar Superintendent of Police, to protest the alleged brutalities unleashed on BJP workers and to submit a memorandum.
A close aide of the senior BJP leader said that once Adhikari returned to Kolkata, additional central forces were deployed to escort him as a precautionary measure.
TMC workers held simultaneous demonstrations in 19 locations across Cooch Behar district, many of which fell along the route taken by Adhikari’s convoy, to protest what they claimed was the “harassment of Bengalis in BJP-ruled states” and the Centre’s alleged “attempts to implement NRC through backdoors in Bengal”.
Adhikari’s convoy was greeted with ‘go-back’ and ‘thief’ slogans near Ghoksadanga. The black flag protests intensified near Khagrabari around 12.35 pm, where the convoy came under attack.
“The TMC assembled Rohingyas who infiltrated this region and made them carry out the attack,” Adhikari alleged.
“They tried to smash the car in which I was moving with rods and sticks and, after they failed, shattered the bulletproof glass with heavy stones. I survived only because of the bulletproof vehicle,” he said.
The BJP leader said he had formally informed the police and administration about his programme well in advance, since it had the sanction of the high court.
“I had a hunch that something like this might happen. Now the SP will face the music for this breakdown of law and order,” he told reporters.
Speaking to the media, former Union minister Nisith Pramanik blamed North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha for allegedly “masterminding” the attack.
“Guha was present at a nearby religious institution and gave instructions to the mob. This was a clear attempt on our lives,” he claimed.
“This is an indicator that the TMC is rapidly losing support in Cooch Behar. They won the 2024 elections here by manipulating votes. But in 2026, they will be whitewashed,” Pramanik added.
The TMC strongly refuted all the charges.
“TMC workers held spontaneous protests against Adhikari. But we were not involved in any attack. This is the BJP’s internal feud playing out in public. They orchestrated the violence for media footage,” said Partha Pratim Ray, former MP and TMC’s Cooch Behar district president.
In one symbolic act, TMC workers were also seen sprinkling water laced with cow dung on roads through which the BJP convoy had passed, claiming they were “purifying” the path.
Later in the evening, Adhikari alleged in a social media post that the attack was carried out in front of the Khagrabari mosque by “Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims” brought in by the TMC to launch a “homicidal assault” on him.
“The foreign illegal immigrants comprising Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims form the backbone of TMC’s power. They make up the party’s vote bank, form crowds at rallies, and engineer vote loot. That’s why Mamata Banerjee is shedding crocodile tears day and night to protect them,” he wrote, attaching a purported video of the assault.
In retaliation, BJP supporters launched statewide protests by blocking roads and burning tyres, causing disruption in multiple locations, including Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata.
Rush hour traffic was severely affected in parts of Salt Lake and Nager Bazar, while demonstrations were also held in Mecheda, Contai, Asansol, Suri, Santipur, and Chinsurah. (PTI)
