20 injured in political clash in Bengal, 12 held

Kolkata, May 12 (IANS) At least 20 people were injured Monday in a clash between activists of the CPI-M and Trinamool Congress in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, police said. Twelve people have been arrested in this connection.

The incident took place in Brahmanchak village in Haroa block in Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, some 40 km from Kolkata.

Sub-divisional police officer Abhijit Banerjee said 12 people were arrested in connection with the clash.

The injured said they were CPI-M activists and supporters, and accused the Trinamool cadres of orchestrating the attack. They claimed four of them received bullet injuries.

The ruling party in the state, however, rubbished the allegations and claimed that 11 of its activists sustained injuries.

One of the injured said around 200 of them -- all CPI-M supporters -- were on their way to cast their votes in Brahmanchak village when they were attacked.

"We were going to the polling booth when around 30-40 men, all Trinamool activists, attacked us with weapons, including guns," said Ruma Mandal, one of the injured who was admitted to a hospital.

Another injured, Tutul Mandal, said at least four of them received bullet injuries and most of the injured lay bleeding for hours before police eventually carried them to a hospital.

The Trinamool blamed the CPI-M for the incident.

"In Haroa, CPI-M's former panchayat head Dinabandhu Mandal was behind this clash, in which 11 of our workers were injured," Trinamool spokesperson Derek O'Brien said.