One person injured in clash between rival groups of BJP workers

Clash Erupts Over Community Feast

A BJP worker was injured in a clash between two rival groups of the party over hosting a feast in the Anandapur area on the south-eastern fringes of Kolkata early on Sunday, August 23, 2026, police said. The injured worker suffered a head injury, according to police.

The clash occurred at the Anandapur playground early on Sunday morning. Both groups staged a demonstration before the Anandapur police station after the clash, a senior police officer said.

Conflicting Accounts of Injury and Timing

Reports on the incident differ on the number of injured and the timing. One account, as reported by The Times of India, says violence erupted late Saturday after rival BJP factions clashed over a community feast, leaving four injured, with trouble beginning around 10:30 pm near Anandapur grounds. Another account, from The Hindu, reports a single injury and places the clash early Sunday morning. The two accounts also differ on the location, with The Times of India mentioning Anandapur grounds and The Hindu specifying the Anandapur playground; both agree that clashes occurred outside the Anandapur police station.

The Feast and Its Organizers

The feast, according to The Times of India, included mutton, katla fish and giant freshwater prawns and was intended for over 1,000 people. Coupons for the event identified the BJP's Kasba Assembly unit as the organizer. Long-time local BJP leaders told The Times of India that the banquet was arranged by individuals who defected to the BJP from the Trinamool Congress after May 4.

Allegations of Unauthorized and Extortion-Funded Event

Local BJP mandal president Arun Bishoyi, also known as Arun Biswal, alleged that the event was unauthorized and funded through extortion from businessmen and jewellery shops. He was quoted by The Times of India as saying: "How is all this possible? We have worked for years and endured assaults from TMC, yet we couldn't even arrange a simple fish-and-rice meal. So where are they getting the money for mutton? They took money from jewelry shops."

The Hindu reported similar allegations from Biswal, who said no permission from the party leadership was taken to organize the feast and that local fish and mutton traders were subjected to extortion. He was quoted as saying: "Those who are behind the feast joined the party after May 4. They took money from traders."

Denials and Official Response

The rival faction, aligned with South Kolkata district committee member Saraswati Sarkar, denied the allegations, as reported by The Times of India. The same report quoted BJP minister Dilip Ghosh as saying, "I don't know whose feast this was." Ghosh also made comments about dealing with gangsters in West Bengal, according to a headline in The Hindu.

Police have begun a probe into the incident.