Cooch Behar, Aug. 26 -- Tension gripped Sitai in Cooch Behar district on Tuesday after the arrest of a BJP worker on charges of rape sparking widespread protests. Hundreds of locals, along with Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters, staged a demonstration outside Sitai Police Station demanding rigorous punishment for the accused.
Police sources confirmed that BJP worker Radheshwar Barman was arrested on Monday following a complaint filed by a widow, who accused him of rape. He was produced before the Dinhata Sub-Divisional Court on Tuesday.
The agitation, which continued for several hours, saw demonstrators blocking the police station premises and raising slogans for justice. Notably, although many TMC leaders and workers participated in the protest, they refrained from carrying party banners or flags. Sitai Block Youth Trinamool Congress President Bishu Roy Pramanik said: "Today we are not protesting under any political banner.
This is a people's movement against a heinous crime. Whoever commits such an offence-be it Barman or anyone else-must face the strictest punishment. Our only demand is that the rapist be hanged."
The BJP, however, rejected the charges, calling them politically motivated. Cooch Behar district BJP president Abhijit Barman alleged: "This is not a criminal case but a family dispute.
There has been a long-standing land-related conflict with the woman and this allegation is an attempt to falsely implicate our worker. The truth will come out once the investigation is over."
Police have stepped up security in the area to prevent further unrest while the investigation continues.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.