A day after a bus carrying a group of Matua community people was attacked by miscreants in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, Union minister Shantanu Thakur who is a BJP leader, and former Trinamul Congress MP Mamatabala Thakur on Friday demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Shantanu Thakur is the president of Matua Mahasangha, a key organisation of the backward Hindu community. Mamatabala Thakur too belongs to the same group.

"The attack appears to be pre-planned as a group of 30 people stopped the bus and hurled stones. They also beat up the devotees and women who were inside. Two community leaders were seriously injured," the union minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways said.

The bus, carrying 40 members of the community, was attacked as it was passing Kazipara area of Barasat while going to a fair of the community at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district on Thursday night. Two injured persons had been hospitalised, police said.

The vehicle was going from Narendrapur in South 24 Parganas district to Thakurnagar where Matua Dharma Maha Mela' is being held. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the community on the occasion of its inauguration on March 29. "Matuas will launch a big movement if those behind the attack are not arrested soon," the BJP MP said.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar alleged that police did not take prompt action during the attack. Former MP and TMC leader Mamatabala Thakur said it is a deplorable incident. "We won't tolerate such attacks on our members. We want a speedy probe and arrest of the guilty," she said.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh condemned the incident and said it should not be politicised. The Matuas originally hail from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and began migrating to West Bengal in the beginning of the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution.

Matuas who make for a large chunk of the state's Scheduled Caste population had been migrating to West Bengal since the 1950s primarily due to religious persecution in the erstwhile East Pakistan which is now Bangladesh. With an estimated 30 lakh members in the state, the community influences result in at least four Lok Sabha seats and 30-40 assembly seats in Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas districts.