1 killed, 6 injured as BJP-TMC workers clash in Bengal

One person was killed and six others were injured in a clash between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal's Birbhum district, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred at Muktinagar village under Dubrajpur assembly constituency when a group of people, allegedly BJP workers, tried to enter the houses of villagers on Friday night, a police officer said.

"Members of the Trinamool Congress, who were feasting nearby, came to their rescue and they clashed with the BJP workers leading to the death of one and injuries to six others," the police officer said.

The injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Suri.

The incident took place when a fact-finding team of the Union Home Ministry is visiting the state to take stock of post-poll violence.

The house of another TMC activist was ransacked at a place near the village on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, the four-member team of the Union Home Ministry on Saturday visited several violence-ravaged places of the state.

The team, led by an additional secretary of the ministry, flew to Birbhum district in the morning and from there they proceeded to several places, including Nanoor, which have been witnessing post-poll violence following the announcement of assembly poll results on May 2.

Members of the team then went to Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district and visited places like Kendamari Jalpai and spoke to locals.

The team, tasked with looking into reasons for the post-poll violence in West Bengal, had met Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Raj Bhavan on Friday.

The ministry has sought a report from Dhankhar on the law and order situation in Bengal, in view of the violence that erupted in the state following the announcement of assembly election results.

The team had visited Budge Budge and Satgachia in South 24 Parganas district on Friday.

The panel had on Thursday, too, toured several places in South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas, shortly after arriving in Kolkata, and held meetings with the chief secretary, home secretary and the DGP at the secretariat, officials said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that 16 people were killed in post-poll violence in the state.

The BJP, on its part, alleged that TMC-backed goons have killed a number of its workers, attacked women members, vandalised houses and looted shops.

Rejecting the charges, Banerjee maintained that clashes were taking place in those areas where the saffron party emerged victorious in the assembly polls.