The ongoing Parivartan Yatra by the BJP ran into a hurdle on Monday morning when police in Murshidabad’s Beldanga did not allow a 500-strong crowd to proceed to Behrampore via Hariharpara, a 60km route.

The incident prompted a three-hour-long blockade on the Beldanga-Amtala road by those taking part in the rally and prompted the police to provide an escort along the highway at noon, after which the rally eventually reached Behrampore.

The yatra had been flagged off by BJP national president J.P. Nadda in Nabadwip on Saturday.

Beldanga police stopped the troupe when it left their night-halt, the local Bharat Seva Ashram, around 9.30am and insisted they take the shorter route along NH12.

“The rally crossed into Murshidabad from Nadia’s Palashi on Sunday night and proceeded to Beldanga via Rejinagar,” said a BJP leader, referring to the float-parade aimed at sending “a message of change” throughout poll-bound Bengal.

Sources said the rally was being handled on a district-wise basis by the local party leadership. On Monday morning, when the police stopped the yatra from taking its desired route, BJP district president (south) Gouri Shankar Ghosh led a blockade on the Beldanga-Amtala road, chanting slogans.

Refusing to heed the advice of the police to take the NH12 to reach Berhampore to avoid a “law and order problem”, Ghosh said they would only take the Hariharpara route and nothing else.

“For three days, we have been in touch with the BJP district leadership saying they must not take the longer Hariharpara route. In any case, it is not possible to provide police escort on such a long route,” said district superintendent of police, K. Sabari Rajkumar.

After three hours of persuasion, the BJP leaders finally agreed to take the road proposed by the police and the rally moved on.

“We eventually got to Behrampore afternoon with the police’s help, but we were greatly delayed even though we had informed Rejinagar station in advance,” said Ghosh who oversaw preparations for a BJP meeting at the Dashamundu Kalibari grounds in Behrampore after reaching there.

Police sources denied Ghosh’s claim of prior intimation. Nadda will flag off a similar Parivartan rally from Birbhum’s Tarapith Tuesday. The yatra will travel through several parts of Birbhum and will culminate in Purulia.

The BJP national president will later in the day travel to Jhargram to flag off another rally that will move through a few districts to reach Belur in Howrah.