Failed to reach venue on time, BJP workers attack volunteers at Modi's rally: Watch

ANI photo

Kolkata: Bharatiya Janata Party workers on Monday attacked civic police volunteers in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore after they couldn't attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally due to heavy traffic on the route.

In a video posted by news agency ANI, the BJP activists are seen hitting the civic police personnel while they are trying to make an escape from the spot. The incident took place at Chowringhee crossing in Kharagpur.

#WATCH: BJP workers attack Civic police volunteers at Chowringhee crossing in Kharagpur, earlier today, reportedly after the party workers couldn't attend Prime Minister's rally in Midnapore due to heavy traffic on the route. #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/BM1LIqwh1Z — ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2018

Earlier in the day, at least 20 persons were injured after a portion of the tent collapsed during the rally. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. Later, a visibly emotional Prime Minister visited those injured in the hospital.

A makeshift tent was constructed near the main entrance of the Kisan Kalyan rally to shelter people from the rain. It collapsed while PM Modi was delivering his speech.

Addressing the public gathering, PM Modi launched a no-holds-barred attack against the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, charging it with "throttling democracy" and running a "syndicate raj" without whose approval nothing moves.

The Prime Minister also reached out to farmers and said his government was working to double their incomes by 2022.

The people of West Bengal will get freedom from the "misrule" of the Trinamool Congress within a few months, Modi said at the farmers' welfare rally in an apparent reference to the coming general elections.

(With inputs from PTI)