A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) was injured in violence that erupted during a Ram Navami procession in Hooghly, West Bengal. The state’s governor, CV Ananda Bose, pledged that those responsible would be charged and will be jailed, while local internet services have been suspended for 24 hours and large gatherings have been banned. The violence occurred earlier this week when groups clashed in Bengal’s Howrah during an apparently sanctioned Ram Navami procession. Images of the procession from Hooghly showed individuals running for safety amidst stone-throwing, while some participants carried swords in front of a mosque. BJP vice president Dilip Ghosh participated in the Hooghly demonstration. Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar claimed that the ruling Trinamool Congress was behind the Hooghly violence. West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, alleged that right-wing groups such as the BJP were responsible for the Howrah clash.
