Eight motorcycles were vandalised and at least three persons injured as BJP and Trinamul workers clashed in a village in Hooghly district on Sunday amid a 12-hour strike called by the BJP to protest a party worker’s murder on Independence Day.

BJP worker Sudarshan Pramanik was killed in Hooghly’s Khanakul on Saturday when rival party workers clashed as their respective Independence Day venues were less than 10 metres apart.

The saffron party alleged Pramanik was killed by Trinamul supporters. Trinamul claimed Pramanik died because of infighting in the BJP. Six persons have been arrested for the murder.

On Sunday, a clash erupted in Khanakul’s Jakra village when BJP workers allegedly hurled crude bombs at the home of panchayat chief Sanjay Dolui. The BJP alleged that TMC attacked “peacefully campaigning” BJP workers.

“BJP workers armed with crude bombs first started shutting down shops in our area and finally hurled bombs at the house of our panchayat chief.

People who protested against the violence were also attacked,” said Abhijit Bag, Trinamul block president in Khanakul.“The BJP men also forced the poor people to stop their work in jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme,” Bag added.

BJP sources claimed Trinamul intentionally attacked workers who were “campaigning peacefully” in support of the strike.

“Trinamul attacked and beat up our party workers in Khanakul. They ransacked several motorcycles. One of our party workers is seriously injured and admitted to the Arambagh subdivisional hospital,” said Biman Ghosh, the BJP’s Arambagh president.

Six persons were arrested in connection with the murder on the Independence Day and eight more in connection with the Sunday strike. “We arrested six persons accused in the murder case. Those arrested for putting up roadblocks were released on bail,” said Nirmal Kumar Das, subdivisional police officer in Arambagh.