Mob beat monks in WB, 12 held; BJP, TMC trade charges

 Kolkata: Three Gangasagar-bound monks from Uttar Pradesh were assaulted by an angry mob in Purulia of West Bengal on Friday evening. Their vehicle was also damaged in the attack. The incident took place at Gourangadih in Kashipur.

The mob, which comprised villagers, attacked the monks after three local girls screamed for help alleging that the monks were misbehaving with them. The girls were traveling on their bicycles to offer puja at a nearby temple. The cops later rescued the monks.

On Saturday, SP (Purulia) Avijit Banerjee said, “A misunderstanding happened when the monks talked to the girls after stopping their vehicle on the road. The girls screamed. They claimed that the monks chased them with a bad intention.”

He added, “The locals turned violent then. They beat the monks and vandalized their vehicle near a Durga temple. We arrested 12 persons in the attack. We are searching for other accused.” The dozen accused were later remanded by the court in police custody.

Strongly reacting to the attack on the monks, BJP president JP Nadda said at a party meeting, “When the entire country is engrossed with Lord Ram, Mamataji faces problem with saffron colour. Why is she so against this colour?”

Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, who is on a state visit, also slammed the Trinamul Congress rule over the incident. Trinamul Congress minister Shashi Panja however pointed out that police acted swiftly.

“BJP leader Amit Malviya has criminals in his IT cell who commit crimes in states like UP but miss his attention and police glare. Here, police took action against the accused and investigating the incident,” she said.