‘His head was cracked open’: BJP MP injured as mob attacks convoy in flood-hit North Bengal
Kolkata:Violence erupted in North Bengal on Monday when the convoy of BJP MP Khagen Murmu was attacked in Nagrakata, in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.
According to reports, Murmu sustained serious head injuries, with witnesses saying he was bleeding profusely from his face after being hit by stones hurled by an angry mob.
The incident occurred when Murmu, the Malda North MP, along with Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh, was inspecting flood-ravaged and disaster-hit areas of Nagrakata and Bamandanga.
The two leaders, part of a larger BJP delegation touring the region, were suddenly surrounded by hundreds of locals who began pelting stones, slippers, shoes, and sticks at their convoy.
Eyewitnesses said stones were even picked up from the nearby riverbed and hurled at the vehicles.
“Khagen’s head was cracked open — blood started gushing out,” said a local BJP worker who was part of the team. MLA Shankar Ghosh also came under attack and was pushed by protestors, though he managed to escape with minor injuries.
Both leaders were rescued and rushed to the hospital, where Murmu is undergoing treatment for a fractured skull and severe facial wounds.
Tensions remained high in the area hours after the incident, with hundreds still gathered at the site and a heavy police deployment trying to bring the situation under control.
Earlier in the day, several senior BJP leaders, including state president Shamik Bhattacharya, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, Jalpaiguri MP Jayanta Roy, and MLAs Anandamoy Barman and Deepak Barman, had reached Siliguri and Bagdogra to assess the post-disaster situation in North Bengal.
Party sources said the attack was “well-planned” and accused local ruling party workers of inciting the mob, though this claim could not be independently verified. The police have not yet issued an official statement.
As tensions simmer in North Bengal, BJP leaders have condemned the “brutal assault” on Murmu and demanded immediate arrests.