If you don’t mend your ways...: Bengal BJP MLA threatens to burn down police station over harassment

A file photo of Bengal BJP MLA Swapan Majumdar

By India Today Web Desk: West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Swapan Majumdar on Saturday allegedly threatened to set on fire a police station under his Bongaon South assembly constituency. Majumdar's statement came while he was addressing party workers at a rally in the Ashoknagar area in North 24 Parganas district.

During his rally, the BJP MLA alleged the Inspector in Charge (IC) and Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the local police station were harassing BJP workers, arresting them and allowing TMC activists in the area to carry on their “illegal” activities.

He said he would burn down the police station if officers in the police station “don’t mend their ways.”

"The IC and OC of Ashoknagar police station listen carefully. Stop indulging in TMC mayhem in your area, stop arresting BJP activists and common men if they dare to protest the misdeeds of the ruling party. One of our activists had been badly beaten up by TMC members in the area. But you are yet to arrest the offender. We will not tolerate this forever. If you don’t mend your ways, we will be forced to set the police station on fire one day,” he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Majumdar further alleged that "if the IC/OC is seen acting as agents of TMC and not acting impartially, beat him up," he said.

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Reacting to Majumdar's statement, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said the party does not endorse the words spoken by Majumdar though it should be kept in mind that he had uttered the words out of helplessness as “police remained mere spectators when BJP supporters were being attacked by TMC and even persecuted BJP activists.”

In sharp contrast, no action has been taken against the real offenders, Bhattacharya alleged.

(With PTI inputs)

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