On Wednesday 10 people were arrested over the stone pelting incident that took place in Howrah's Tikiapara area on Tuesday.
Speaking about the incident, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that the police would be taking action.
"Tikiapara incident should not have happened. It is sad, and I have asked police to take stern action," Mamata said.
Criticising those who have, in the Chief Minister's words, "filled pages with lies", Mamata said that "crime is crime".
"We do not differentiate based on cast and creed. In many places in UP, Delhi lots of things have happened. If one wants I can open Pandora’s box...but this is not the time for it," she added.
Videos of the shocking incident had shown locals chasing security personnel and hurling stones and bricks at the police as they patrolled the area. The Free Press Journal's Prema Rajaram had quoted sources earlier to say that the the incident had begun when officials questioned a woman for violating the coronavirus enforced lockdown. Reportedly, she got into an argument with the police, following which locals attacked the security personnel patrolling the area.
On Tuesday evening, taking cognizance of the incident the West Bengal Police had promised that they would be taking "strong action against everyone involved" in the incident.
"The perpetrators will be identified & brought to justice. No transgression of the law anywhere will be tolerated," the police had tweeted.
The state's BJP unit in the meantime, tweeted criticising Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for practicing "appeasement politics".
“West Bengal Police personnel attacked by stone-pelting mob for trying to enforce lockdown in Tikiapara, Howrah. Thanks to Mamata Banerjee’ appeasement politics, her loyal voters are now attacking policemen, even while Bengal faces a tough fight against #Covid19 pandemic,” the BJP Bengal Twitter handle wrote.
As per data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, West Bengal has so far recorded 725 positive cases. Of these, 119 people have been 'cured' and discharged, while 22 have died. Several other people have died from co-morbidity issues.
Across India, the total case tally has not crossed 31,300, even as the number of deaths rose to 1007.
