Students, policemen injured in Trinamool students union clash

Several students and two police personnel were injured in a clash between two opposing factions of Trinamool Congress students union at a college in West Bengal on Thursday, police said.

Two opposing factions of the Trinamool Congress-run students union at North Dinajpur's Islampur college clashed with each other over the General Secretary's election, a police officer said.

Both groups hurled bricks and attacked each other with wooden staves. Police had to fire tear gas to control the situation.

"A student was hit in the head. Two of our personnel were also injured while trying to stop the clash. The situation is normal now," the police officer said.

Trinamool legislator of Islampur, Kanailal Agarwal and ex-legislator Abdul Karim Chowdhury blamed each other for the clash.

"I wanted the college union to have a single panel from our party so that the election can be conducted peacefully. We had an agreement that the general secretary would be our choice while they would provide the candidate for Assistant General Secretary. But three days before the election, they have changed the decision," Chowdhury alleged.

Kanailal Agarwal, who won on a Congress ticket in last year's state assembly election and then switched over to Trinamool, denied the allegation and said the candidature of General Secretary (GS) has been decided after following the proper procedure.

--IANS

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