BJP alleges police, Bimal Gurung behind attack on Dilip Ghosh

The West Bengal BJP took out rallies across the state on Thursday evening to protest the attack on BJP state president Dilip Ghosh in Jaigaon, Alipurduar.

Jaigaon is located at the border between India and Bhutan. The incident took place while Ghosh was enroute to attend a party programme. The attackers, who the BJP says were members of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's Bimal Gurung faction, waived black flag at Ghosh and threw stones at his convo.

 The BJP's youth body, led by its president Saumitra Khan, took out a huge protest rally in Kolkata, blocking the roads. Similar protest rallies were taken out all over the state.

Ghosh released a statement saying the attack was a joint one by both the TMC and the police. "The ruling party is scared and using police to check the rise of BJP," he said.

He also alleged that police encouraged the attackers and refused to act even as they assembled with stones and bricks.  The West Bengal police gave refuted the allegations, adding that Ghosh took out a bike rally "without official permission". 

The Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankhar, condemned the attack on Ghosh in a statement. 

"How can a senior politician like him be attacked?" said the governor, who is in North Bengal, in a statement.

BJP sources alleged that Gurung, who they say is under the protection of the state government in Kolkata, masterminded the attack.

"It is clear that he is under pressure to act in favour of TMC. Gurung would have to attack BJP in North Bengal and he could only evade arrest then," said a BJP state vice president.

Kalchini MLA Wilson Champamari was accompanying Ghosh when  he was attacked this evening. Champamari's vehicle was smashed with heavy stones and got damaged. 

The attack came day after Narendra Modi lashed out at the Trinamool Congress in Bengal without referring the party or the state. He indirectly asked the ruling party in Bengal to read the writing on the wall.  

The BJP have called for massive protest rallies across North Bengal districts on Friday.