Kolkata, May 15 -- BJP and TMC supporters on Tuesday fought pitched battles on the streets of Kolkata during a massive roadshow by Amit Shah, who was forced to cut short the jamboree and had to be escorted to safety by police.

Violence broke out after Shah's convoy approached the hostel of Vidyasagar College where he was greeted by stone pelters. Furious BJP supporters retaliated and were seen exchanging blows with their TMC rivals outside the college entrance.

Several motorcycles parked outside the college campus were vandalised and set ablaze. Shards of broken glass littered the lobby of the college where a bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, a noted philosopher and a key figure of Bengal Renaissance, was smashed to smithereens. Police...