WB: BJP man shot at on Ram Navami day; BJP, TMC celebrate festival peacefully

Kolkata: A BJP worker was shot at by a youth in North 24 Parganas of West Bengal on the day of Ram Navami celebration which remained by and large peaceful amid tight security arrangements by the Mamata Banerjee government across the state.

The shooting took place at Thakurnagar area. The injured, Ashutosh Biswas, is in his sixties. He lives with his family at Bara Krishnanagar area in Gaighata.

Mr Biswas was returning home after dropping his wife, Lipika, at Thakurnagar railway station in the morning. Lipika sells flowers at Birati. When her husband was coming back to home, a flower trader, Tapan Bala, opened fire on him. Mr Biswas fell down with bullet injuries.

He was rushed to Chandpara Grameen Hospital before being referred to R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Later the police arrested Tapan following a complaint from the Biswas family.

Cops suspect a business rivalry might have led to the attack. Meanwhile, BJP and Trinamul Congress celebrated Ram Navami with fanfare in the city and the districts. Kolkata alone witnessed around 60 rallies.

Top BJP figures starting from union minister and state chief Sukanta Majumdar to leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari to former party MP Dilip Ghosh were seen leading religious processions at various places with ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogans.

In the morning, chief minister Mamata Banerjee posted on X-handle, “Greetings to all on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami. I appeal to all to maintain and uphold the values of peace, prosperity and development of all. I wish the celebration of the Ram Navami all success, in a peaceful manner.”

In Birbhum, TMC leader Kajal Sheikh was seen attending a puja at a Hanuman temple at Nanoor and also accepted a trident wrapped in saffron scarf. In South 24 Parganas, Canning East TMC MLA Shaokat Molla participated in a rally.

Late in the evening, BJP alleged that a car, ferrying some Ram Navami rallyists, was vandalised at Park Circus seven point crossing. Mr Majumdar claimed on X-handle, "As the Ram Navami procession returned, Hindu devotees were savagely attacked in Kolkata’s Park Circus Seven Point area. Stones rained down on vehicles just for carrying saffron flags. Windshields shattered. Chaos unleashed. This wasn’t random—it was targeted violence. And where was the police? Right there. Watching. Silent. Spineless. The very force handpicked by @MamataOfficial —completely paralyzed by her politics of appeasement. Not one step taken to protect innocent Hindus."

He added, "This cowardly inaction proves ONE thing: the roar of united Bengali Hindus during Ram Navami has shaken the system. Mamata’s pampered “Shanti Vahini” isn’t peaceful—they’re panicked. Rattled. Terrified! Let it be known: this is just the beginning. We promise from Kolkata—next year, an even larger, louder, and mightier Ram Navami procession will storm through Park Circus. And the same cops who stood mute today? They’ll shower flowers on us. Mark these words."