A BJP office was ransacked on Saturday morning when alleged members of a Trinamul Congress procession, passing through Birbhum’s Ilambazar, broke away from the rally and made a charge with bamboo sticks.

According to district BJP sources, a rally was going through Ilambazar shortly after 9.30am in support of Trinamul’s Bolpur candidate Asit Mal.

“Around 9.45am, a few of them emerged from the procession carrying sticks and charged at our office. One of our party workers was severely beaten before he was able to flee. We have filed a police complaint. Clearly, Trinamul is resorting to violent tactics because they sense defeat,” said Chitta Ranjan Sinha, the BJP’s district general-secretary in Ilambazar.

“Thankfully, nobody was injured. But the threat was very real…. It is becoming increasingly dangerous for us here,” he added.

Sources said furniture and party memorabilia worth around Rs 50,000 were damaged. The destroyed material included photographs and trophies.

Trinamul sources in the district have denied the allegation.

Anubrata Mondal, Trinamul’s Birbhum chief, said: “It is a false complaint.”

“My party doesn’t do such things. It is a fallout of the BJP’s infighting,” he added.

In a separate incident, the BJP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission claiming that Trinamul conducted a rally in Nanoor’s Basapara where workers were brandishing 50ft bamboo poles. Trinamul countered this allegation saying that they were flagpoles.

The CPM and BJP have filed complaints with the EC regarding Trinamul’s hour-long and 3km route march in Nanoor on Saturday morning.

Ramkrishna Roy, the BJP’s district president, said: “Trinamul’s intimidation tactics are not new. We have complained because it is not welcome in this area.”

Goutam Ghose, a member of the CPM’s state committee, said: “They are trying to intimidate us because we secured Nanoor the last time.”