Booked for provocative post, Bengal BJP MP alleges attack on house

Arjun Singh, from Barrackpore constituency in North 24 Parganas district, alleged that bombs were hurled at his house as well as an adjacent temple

Arjun Singh (58), the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha member from Barrackpore constituency in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, alleged on Friday that bombs were hurled at his house as well as an adjacent temple the previous night.

The incident occurred two days after West Bengal Police registered a case against Arjun Singh for his September 1 tweet in which he had alleged that arson led to the destruction of an idol at a temple in another district in Bengal. (Sonu Mehta/HT photo)

Singh lives in the district’s Bhatpara area.

The incident occurred two days after West Bengal Police registered a case against Singh for his September 1 tweet in which he had alleged that arson led to the destruction of an idol at a temple in another district in Bengal.

However, the police released a letter written by the priest and caretaker of the shrine who stated that the idol caught fire accidentally from an oil lamp and there was no communal violence angle as alleged by Singh.

“Legal action is being taken. Please don’t get carried away by misleading, provocative and mischievous post,” the West Bengal Police tweeted while attaching a screenshot of Singh’s post.

On Friday, Singh released on social media a video purportedly showing two bombs going off near his home and on top of a roadside temple, emitting a lot of smoke.

Barrackpore police commissioner Manoj Verma was not available for comment.

“We are looking into the allegation that Singh has made,” an officer of the local police station said on condition of anonymity.

On August 19, the police had searched Singh’s residence in connection with financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 11 crore involving the Bhatpara municipality and a local cooperative bank.

Singh was the chairman of the Bhatpara municipality from 2010 to 2019 and also headed the bank’s board when the alleged scam took place. He had left the TMC and joined the BJP in March 2019.

Singh, who was present at home during the search operation, alleged that he was being targeted by the ruling TMC.

Considered to be a heavyweight leader, Singh was a four-time legislator of the TMC from Bhatpara before he joined the BJP and defeated TMC’s sitting Barrackpore Member of Parliament (MP) Dinesh Trivedi in the last parliamentary election.

The election was marked by violence which continues intermittently on Singh’s home turf.

Singh’s son and brother-in-law are also sitting BJP legislators in the Bengal assembly.