A group of BJP workers, who were taking part in a procession in support of their Labhpur nominee, allegedly pelted stones at a Trinamul party office “without provocation” and damaged around six motorcycles kept outside the office in Sainthia on Thursday morning.

BJP denied this allegation and instead said Trinamul workers had attacked them.

Sources said senior Trinamul leaders in Sainthia — some areas of which fall under the Labhpur Assembly seat — had called up a meeting at the party office at Sangra village on Thursday morning. Simultaneously, BJP supporters took out a procession for their Labhpur nominee Biswajit Mondal.

Trinamul leaders alleged that a group of BJP workers broke away from the procession and attacked the party office by pelting stones and ransacked around six motorbikes that were parked outside.

“Without any provocation, the BJP workers attacked our party office and ransacked motorbikes. Four of our workers were injured in the attack and several motorbikes damaged. As the BJP is fearing defeat, their party workers are resorting to violence,” said Abhijit Sinha, a Trinamul vice-president of Birbhum district and the party’s Labhpur nominee.

The BJP district leadership, however, alleged that Trinamul was the first to attack the BJP procession when it was passing by the Trinamul office.

“Trinamul was the first to attack on us and they also harassed our women workers. Our supporters spontaneously reacted to the Trinamul attack. We have also lodged a police complaint,” said Dhruba Saha, BJP’s Birbhum district president.

Birbhum superintendent of police Meeraj Khalid said that the police had started a case and have arrested four persons in this connection.

BJP nominee thrashed

BJP’s Haroa candidate Rajendra Saha was allegedly assaulted by suspected Trinamul supporters at the Lebutala area of Haroa in North 24-Parganas district on Thursday evening.

Saha was allegedly punched and thrashed by a group of Trinamul supporters when he was speaking to party workers after an election meeting.

At least six party workers were injured in the attack and five vehicles of Saha’s campaign team were vandalised.

The injured BJP workers have been admitted to Haroa Rural Hospital.

As news of the attack spread, angry BJP supporters demonstrated against alleged police inaction.

Refuting the allegations of thrashing the BJP candidate, Trinamul leader Hafiz Ahmed said: “It was actually a clash between the BJP’s old and new factions. Trinamul supporters had no role in this incident.”

BJP candidate Saha, however, said Trinamul attacked him and his aides out of insecurity. “It was a planned attack by the ruling party in the state because it is afraid of losing support in the area.”