KOLKATA: At least four people were killed in political violence in India’s West Bengal state following the election victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to police and party officials.
The unrest erupted after results announced on Monday showed the BJP winning 206 out of 294 assembly seats in the state of more than 100 million people, marking the party’s first-ever victory in West Bengal.
The state had been governed since 2011 by Mamata Banerjee and her regional party, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Banerjee, a long-time critic of Modi, also lost her own seat in the election and has rejected the outcome.
Police said clashes broke out in Kolkata and several other areas soon after the results were declared, with rival political supporters accusing each other of deadly attacks.
The BJP claimed two of its workers were killed during the violence.
Grassroots political workers
“Two of our workers were killed after results of the elections were announced on Monday,” BJP state leader Samik Bharracharya said, adding that the party stands “for peace”.
Meanwhile, the TMC alleged that two of its members were “brutally murdered” in separate attacks.
“Our party offices were attacked in several areas of the state,” TMC spokesman Narendranath Chakrabort told the media. “Two of the victims were grassroots political workers.”
A senior police official confirmed four deaths linked to the clashes and said one police officer had also been shot in the leg during the unrest.
