Kolkata:
The brick kiln worker whose eye was severely damaged after he was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters on Thursday has spoken to NDTV about the incident from his hospital bed.
"I was a part of the CPM rally. When I was returning home, a group of boys attacked me. They were from the Trinamool though, in the scuffle, I could not figure out exactly who hit me," Gopal Majhi said.
Mr Majhi was allegedly attacked for participating in the trade union strike of Wednesday and Thursday and marching in a Communist Party of India (Marxist) rally.
The incident occurred at Kulpi in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district Thursday night.
Mr Majhi's family filed a complaint at the Kulpi police station on Friday.
"We have registered a complaint against some unknown persons for attacking Mr Majhi. We are probing the incident and hope to apprehend the culprits soon," a police officer said.
"My father's eye has been completely damaged and he has been severely beaten by Trinamool supporters. We hope the attackers are arrested soon," Mr Majhi's daughter said.
Mr Majhi is currently admitted to the Calcutta National Medical College Hospital.
The incident came a day after a panchayat worker's ear was chopped off in Jalangi in Murshidabad district, allegedly by supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress for not attending office for a day during the two-day nationwide strike.
That incident was condemned by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"The incident is deplorable to say the least. Day by day the law and order situation in the state is deteriorating and the ruling party is responsible," state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya said.