New Delhi, July 31 -- The alleged physical assault on Pranayita Das, Karmadhyaksha (Health) of the Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad, has triggered sharp political reactions across North Bengal, with leaders from various political parties expressing concern over what they describe as a growing culture of public harassment. However, the Trinamool Congress leader has not yet lodged any formal complaint with the police nor are there any reports of police initiating a suo moto investigation.
Pranayita Das, daughter of senior TMC district leader and Jalpaiguri Assembly candidate Krishna Das, appeared before Jalpaiguri Kotwali Police Station on Thursday following a court directive in connection with an alleged post-election attack case in which six BJP workers were reportedly injured.
A group of women protesters allegedly blocked her vehicle outside the police station and hurled eggs on her. Tension escalated when police attempted to escort her out, with some protesters allegedly pulling her by the hair and physically assaulting her.
Jibon Shingha, chief of the banned Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, in a video message from an undisclosed location, said: "The attack on Pranayita Das is an attack on the entire Rajbanshi community. BJP workers are allegedly carrying out a planned campaign of intimidation and violence. The Rajbanshi community is being subjected to grave injustice and oppression..."
Veteran CPI(M) leader and former Siliguri Mayor Ashok Bhattacharya said: "Such politics never existed in West Bengal. We always maintained political decency. What the BJP is doing now is unacceptable. However, the TMC earlier denied the Opposition democratic space, and the BJP is now following the same path. This is not just about eggs but about the erosion of political decency."
The incident comes amid a series of similar confrontations across North Bengal. On Thursday, eggs were allegedly hurled at Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) worker Sourav Bhaskar when he was produced before the Siliguri Court in connection with an old clash involving the ABVP. Similar incidents have also been reported in Matigara, Fulbari and Phansidewa. Darjeeling (Plains) TMC president Kuntal Roy alleged that such incidents were damaging Siliguri's political culture.
In Cooch Behar district, former TMC leader Basanti Narayan allegedly faced egg-hurling by protesters after returning to her village in Dinhata. Similar allegations have also surfaced during the court appearance of former Cooch Behar TMC president Abhijit De Bhowmik, protests involving the Pradhan and Deputy Pradhan of Bhotbari Gram Panchayat in Mekhliganj, and while former North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha was being taken to court.
CPI(M) Cooch Behar district secretary Anant Roy said everyone has democratic rights to engage in politics and alleged that the administration was failing to curb political attacks. Congress leader and District INTUC president Biswajit Sarkar also condemned the incidents, saying such acts violate democratic norms and called for stronger administrative intervention to prevent further escalation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.