Shantanu Thakur, Bharatiya Janata Party`s (BJP) Lok Sabha candidate from Bongaon has been hospitalised after he met with a road accident on Saturday near North 24 Parganas’ Jagulia area.
He suffered injuries when the car he was travelling in met with the accident. He was soon taken to Bangaon Medical College and Hospital for medical treatment.
The accident happened at around 12.15 pm when a police van lost control and hit Thakur’s vehicle at the front when he was heading towards Kalyani to attend an election rally on the last day of campaigning, the police said.
No arrests have been made so far in connection with the accident and the police vehicle was allegedly damaged by BJP workers.
A West Bengal Police officer said, “We are trying to find out what actually happened and whose fault it was. We are talking to drivers of both the vehicles. So far nobody has been arrested.”
Thakur is the youngest grandson of Binapani Devi, the matriarch of Matua community, who died in March 2019. He is fighting the election against sitting Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mamatabala Thakur, the daughter-in-law of the Binapani Devi. The family is witnessing a feud over control on the community.
The BJP candidate’s mother Chabirani Thakur alleged that the accident was the result of a “conspiracy” hatched by TMC. “My son’s vehicle was standing on the side of the road and suddenly from nowhere this police van came and hit it. We want a thorough investigation into the matter,” she told news agency PTI.
Seven parliamentary constituencies of Bangaon, Barrackpore both in North 24 Parganas district, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampore, Hooghly, Arambag are scheduled to go to the polls in the fifth phase.
