A total of nine people, including five BJP workers and four TMC workers, were arrested after tensions escalated into a clash outside Ekbalpur Police Station in Kolkata on Monday (April 21, 2026). As per the Kolkata police, the incident unfolded on Hossain Shah Road during a campaigning programme, triggering a confrontation between supporters of the two rival parties.
According to Kolkata Police, the clash broke out when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters gathered for a meeting led by party candidate Rakesh Singh. During the programme, sloganeering by BJP workers was met with counter-slogans from supporters of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), leading to a heated exchange that soon turned violent.
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Congress MP K.C. Venugopal said that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to hijack the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and is using All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) as a weapon to do so. Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Venugopal said that this election is a contest between the Tamil culture and the idea of secularism against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “dictatorial rule.”
