Balurghat: BJP supporters led by Union minister Sukanta Majumdar clashed with the police in West Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur district on Saturday during a protest over the violence in Murshidabad.

Majumdar, also the state BJP president, led the party workers to gherao the BDO office in Balurghat, but when the police stopped them, a clash broke out.

He claimed that an unprovoked lathi charge was carried out on BJP supporters by the police, “which showed the undemocratic face of the Mamata Banerjee government”.

“The state police cannot stop rioters. It says it is outnumbered when it faces a mob of miscreants and hooligans. But it crushes the democratic protest of the BJP against atrocities by thugs and rioters,” said the Balurghat MP.

Police said “mild force” was used as the protesters tried to storm into the BDO (Block Development Officer) office.

The situation is under control now, they said.

Majumdar, the MoS for Education, demanded that all those behind the violence in Murshidabad be arrested, and confidence-building measures be taken up by the administration to make the displaced people feel secure.

The TMC, meanwhile, accused the BJP of attempting polarisation by fomenting trouble.

“While the state government is doing everything possible to instil confidence among the people, the BJP is trying to escalate the situation for electoral gains. They don’t want Bengal to remain peaceful, they don’t want amity and peace to prevail among different communities,” TMC leader Kunal Ghosh alleged.