Kolkata, July 30 -- An FIR has been registered against a BJP leader and six others at the Baranagar Police Station for allegedly assaulting a local trader over an alleged attempt to dominate a puja committee.
According to sources, a local businessman identified as Biswanath Chakraborty of Niyogipara MB Sarani area was brutally assaulted and his shop ransacked in Baranagar, allegedly by the BJP mandal president Sanjay Adhikari and his associates.
As a result Chakraborty sustained injuries and was hospitalised. The allegations center on the forceful takeover of a Puja committee, demands for subscriptions and directives to keep shops closed.
The local trader was serving as the treasurer of the Darjipara-Niyogipara Durgotsav Welfare Association for the past three years. It is alleged that, following the announcement of the Assembly election results, pressure was mounted to take over the management of the puja committee.
He was reportedly coerced into handing over the committee's records, bank documents, and other papers through intimidation.
Chakraborty further claimed that he was subsequently ordered to keep his shop closed. Chanchal Biswas, the president of the puja committee, reportedly alleged that pressure was also exerted on him to either construct a clubhouse or provide money for purpose.
Chakraborty's shop was reopened only after the direct intervention of the local MLA Sajal Ghosh. Within a few days after the reopening, a group led by the BJP mandal president stormed the area on Sunday. The attackers reportedly targeted both Chakraborty and his shop, vandalising the premises and leaving the merchant severely injured.
Police arrived at the scene shortly after the incident to restore order. A formal complaint was lodged against the BJP leader and his associates following which an FIR has been registered. Authorities have initiated an investigation into the assault and the underlying dispute.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.