House of Trinamul leader, lost in rural polls, attacked by suspected BJP supporters
Telegraph | 30 July 2023
The house of a Trinamul leader, who lost to the BJP in the recent rural polls, was attacked by suspected saffron camp supporters in Cooch Behar on Friday night.
The local BJP leadership denied the charge.
Rajib Barman, the Trinamul leader, contested for a panchayat samiti seat from Bhetaguri on the outskirts of Cooch Behar town. He lost the seat to a BJP candidate.
According to him, around 11.45pm, a group of BJP supporters approached his house.
“They broke the lights in electric poles and CCTV cameras fitted outside my house. The attackers shouted abuses at me and ransacked the tinned fences which surround my house. The attack continued for around 30 minutes after which they left. It was a planned attack by the BJP,” said Barman.
In Bhetaguri, the BJP bagged two local panchayat seats.
Dinhata police, which reached the spot and started a probe, gathered information from retrieved CCTV footage. Based on it, cops reached the home of Subal Kinnar, a suspected attacker. Subal ran to see the cops. He was nabbed after a 30-minute chase.
Trinamul MLA and north Bengal development minister Udayan Guha reached Barman’s house on Saturday.
“We want to make it clear that everything has a limit. Our workers are being patient. If we resort to attacks, the other side will realise the consequences,” Guha said.
Joydip Ghosh, a district BJP leader, denied the charge. “The person (Barman) lost in the polls like many other Trinamul candidates. Unlike Trinamul, we don’t resort to attacks on our rivals. It is a baseless allegation,” he said.