Villagers in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal got angry at TMC leaders.
First they chased the leaders out of the village and then set their properties on fire.
In fact, the villagers allege that he is close to TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, who is wanted on charges of attacking ED officials in the scam.
There is heavy tension in the area after the incident. Police have registered three cases in the case and two villagers have also been arrested.
On the other hand, TMC alleges that the villagers suddenly attacked the party meeting and injured at least 15 people.
Sandeshkhali in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district witnessed large-scale unrest since Wednesday night when villagers chased away Trinamool Congress leaders from the village and set on fire some properties of two party leaders, Kolkata Police said.
The villagers allege that he is a close associate of TMC local unit president Sheikh Shahjahan.
Shahjahan is wanted in connection with the January 5 attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during a raid at his house in connection with the alleged Public Distribution System scam.
Road blocked against TMC leaders
Tension escalated further on Thursday when a few hundred women blocked various roads and demanded the arrest of Zilla Parishad member Shiba Prasad Hazra and TMC leader Uttam Sardar. These are the same leaders whose properties were set on fire on Wednesday night.
Police force deployed in the area
“Three FIRs have been registered in connection with the arson and two villagers have been arrested,” an official from Sandeshkhali police station said on condition of anonymity. “In view of the tension, a heavy police contingent has been deployed,” he said.
On the other hand, most of the agitating women were armed with sticks, brooms and farming tools. Archana Naskar, a woman among the protesters, told the media, “Sardar and Hazra Sheikh are associates of Shahjahan. They have grabbed a few hundred acres of agricultural land in the last few years to run their fisheries. They deprived people of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and did not give us the money we earned under the Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA).”
What does TMC say
It is reported that Hajra and Sardar could not be traced after the arson. HT tried to contact Hazra but he did not pick up the call. “At least 15 of our workers were injured on Wednesday night when villagers carried out a planned attack on a party meeting,” said Sukumar Mahata, TMC MLA from Sandeshkhali.