Stones were pelted at my car and other vehicles in my convoy. The windshields were smashed. This was an attempt to kill me: Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury. Agitated Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers on Thursday vandalised the car of West Bengal mass education extension and library department minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury when he was visiting Monteswar, his assembly constituency in East Burdwan district.
“Stones were pelted at my car and other vehicles in my convoy. The windshields were smashed. This was an attempt to kill me. The attack was planned by a corrupt TMC panchayat leader. The local police witnessed everything but took no action. I have contacted senior officials,” Chowdhury said.
A senior district police officer, requesting anonymity, said that police are probing the incident.
The upset TMC workers showed up with black flags when the minister’s convoy was passing and shouted slogans like “thief” and “extortionist,” while some waved shoes and brooms.
TMC leader and chief of the Monteswar gram panchayat, Rafiqul Islam Sheikh, said that the local residents had expressed their anger. “Chowdhury is a corrupt leader. He extorts money. He never visited Monteswar after winning the election. Local people are angry with him. This was a spontaneous outburst,” Sheikh said.
Chowdhury countered the allegation, saying, “Sheikh is an extortionist. The TMC leadership will take action.”
Chowdhury, who is also president of the West Bengal unit of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, contested the Monteswar seat for the first time for TMC in 2021 and won by around 26,000 votes, defeating his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) counterpart.
Attacking the ruling government, Kolkata BJP leader Sajal Ghosh said, “People of Bengal are disgusted with this regime and its corrupt leaders. More such incidents may happen in the run-up to the 2026 assembly polls,” said Ghosh.
No senior TMC leader had commented on the attack till Thursday afternoon.
