Jalpaiguri, July 9 -- Tension prevailed at the Trinamool Congress-run Kharia Gram Panchayat on Thursday after BJP workers and supporters along with the local people, alleging large-scale corruption, forcibly removed Pradhan Kanan Adhikari and several other panchayat members from the Panchayat office.
According to local sources, BJP leaders and workers, accompanied by residents, arrived at the Panchayat office while the Pradhan and other elected members were present. The protesters allegedly forced them to leave the office and escorted them away in an e-rickshaw. Raising slogans of "chor, chor" ("thief, thief"), the demonstrators accused the panchayat authorities of misappropriating funds under various government welfare schemes and depriving beneficiaries of their entitlements. They also declared that the Pradhan and other members would not be allowed to re-enter the office.
BJP local mandal president Dipankar Dutta alleged that widespread corruption had taken place in the gram panchayat over the past 15 years. "The Pradhan and the Deputy Pradhan have committed irregularities in housing schemes and several other government welfare programmes.
Even records under the Annapurna scheme were not properly maintained, leaving many eligible women deprived of benefits. Today, people have peacefully protested against this corruption and removed them from office. They will not be allowed to enter the office again," he claimed.
Rejecting the allegations, Pradhan Kanan Adhikari denied any wrongdoing.
"We are now going home. We have no problem with
anyone," she said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.