BJP state president Rahul Sinha during a scuffle with police in Makra village
Three BJP parliamentarians from Delhi - including party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - were arrested by the West Bengal police on Thursday to prevent them from visiting Birbhum's Makra village. Three people had been killed in the village on Monday in a gun-battle between supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP.
Just two km outside the village, the police were out in strength waiting for the BJP team. They had put up barricades and had imposed Section 144 in the area, which disallows the assembly of more than four persons.
Around 1 pm, when the BJP team led by Mr Naqvi arrived, the police stopped them.
A scuffle ensued and as the assembled BJP supporters shouted slogans, Mr Naqvi, Kirti Azad, Udit Raj and state party president Rahul Sinha were arrested, pushed into a police van and sent to the local police station.
From behind the bars, Mr Naqvi said, "We wanted to see the ground situation but we were stopped. The only reason can be the torture and anarchy let loose there, the deaths... The government knows that if we go and see it, it will be exposed."
State BJP chief Mr Sinha added, "It is exactly like Nandigram. When Mamata Banerjee and we tried to enter Nandigram, we were stopped. Then the CPM was in power. Now she has come to power and is repeating Nandigram."
Makra is still mourning the deaths, and there is considerable tension in the area.
Noor Nawaz, a neighbor of Taufik Sheikh who was killed in Monday's clash, said, "Not allowing the BJP to come to Makra is a political conspiracy by the Trinamool. The situation is like Nandigram."
The ruling party has been silent on the Makra killings and had little to say on the scuttled BJP visit.
Senior party leader Partha Chatterjee said, "The administration has to do its job, which is to maintain law and order. We should all ensure there is no trouble in Bengal."
The BJP team was let off after an hour. They will submit their report to party chief Amit Shah.