Hours after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda’s convoy was attacked on Thursday in West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour to attend a party event, Home Minister Amit Shah ordered an investigation and asked West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for a detailed report on law and order in the state.

He also called for two reports from the state administration within 12 hours as the BJP alleged that the state had slipped into complete lawlessness and anarchy.

The attackers, standing at both side of the road, reportedly hurled stones at Nadda’s motorcade, alleged BJP’s West Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh. BJP’s national secretary and party’s chief observer in West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya’s car was also at the receiving end of stone-pelting who shared a video on his official Twitter handle of stones being tossed at his car, leaving window panes and the front of the car damaged.

“On our way to Diamond Harbour, TMC supporters blocked the road and pelted Naddaji’s vehicle and other cars in the convoy with stones. This only shows the true colour of the TMC,” Ghosh said as quoted by India Today.

Nadda’s convoy came under attack, allegedly from supporters of WB’s ruling TMC, around 60 km from state capital Kolkata. Nadda was on his way to a meeting of party workers in Diamond Harbour, which is the parliamentary constituency of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

“If I have reached here for the meeting, it’s due to Ma Durga’s grace,” said Nadda adding that he was unhurt because he was travelling in a bulletproof car but other BJP leaders, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy, were injured. Some journalists were pushed and manhandled, according to PTI.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed the attack was staged by the BJP accusing the saffron party of resorting to drama to malign her government ahead of the assembly polls next year.

“BJP is creating a new Hindu dharma. It is a hateful dharma. This is how Hitler became who he was. Narendra Modi babu’s sarkar only creates drama, creates its own incident and presents in video, circulates to media and media can’t say anything or question them. Nautanki is going on. They will say Pakistan is attacking us, Nepal, Israel,” said Banerjee.

“Every day they (BJP activists) are coming out (for rallies) with firearms. They are slapping themselves and blaming it on the Trinamool Congress. Just think of the situation. They are roaming around with the BSF, CRPF, Army, CISF….then why are you so scared?” she asked.

She said there would be a police inquiry but questioned if there was a provocation or a conspiracy. She also said the BJP had not asked for security for Nadda who has Z-category protection.

The attack comes a day after Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh wrote to the Home Minister raising concerns about Nadda’s security after he was shown black flags in Kolkata yesterday.

“Bengal has descended into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness under the Trinamool rule. The manner in which political violence has been institutionalized and brought to the extreme in West Bengal under TMC (Trinamool) rule is sad and worrying,” Amit Shah tweeted.

The Home Minister added: “The central government is taking this attack very seriously. The Bengal government will have to answer to the peace-loving people of the state for this sponsored violence.”

Nadda, who is on a two-day tour of West Bengal to see party’s preparation for the 2021 Assembly polls in West Bengal, landed in Kolkata on Wednesday. He was greeted by protestors with a black flag during his first event of the Bengal visit.

On his way to inaugurate the party’s election control room at Hastings in Kolkata, Nadda faced the heat of unknown protestors. They were reportedly against the three new farm laws introduced by the BJP government at the Centre.

(With agency inputs)