North 24 Paragnas, 08 April (H.S.): Tension prevailed in Panihati during an election campaign on Wednesday after a BJP candidate, Abhaya’s mother, alleged that she was manhandled and an attempt was made to assault her, even as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) denied the charges.

According to sources, the BJP candidate was campaigning in Ward No. 6 of Panihati municipality when a group of local women surrounded her, raising “Jai Bangla” slogans.

The candidate alleged that TMC-backed miscreants tried to attack her and some of her supporters were injured in the scuffle. She termed the incident as undemocratic and accused the ruling party of resorting to such acts out of fear. She also asserted that she would continue her fight for the safety of women in the state.

Refuting the allegations, TMC candidate Tirthankar Ghosh said the claims were baseless. He alleged that the BJP candidate was campaigning with outsiders and was misleading people by claiming that government schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar might be discontinued.

The incident led to a brief spell of tension in the area. BJP workers later escorted the candidate to safety. A video of the incident has also surfaced on social media.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey