According to a complaint filed by Mondal at the Haroa police station in North 24 Parganas, she and her husband Mrityunjay Mondal were returning from a Kali Puja programme when a group of around 30 people, allegedly led by a local TMC leader, Khalek Molla, intercepted her convoy. Molla, however, denied the allegations.
“I was dragged out of the car and assaulted with a rod, resulting in a leg injury. Several of my party workers were also injured and are undergoing treatment,” Mondal told the police. The MLA claimed that her husband was also allegedly forced to step out of the car and beaten up.
Her husband, Mrityunjay Mondal, told mediapersons, “We were ambushed by Khalek Molla’s group near the Haroa auto-rickshaw stand. They pelted our car with bricks and attacked us with rods. Our boys were following us on motorcycles. At least 10-12 people were injured in the incident.”
Addressing mediapersons on Friday, Molla denied all the allegations and claimed that Mondal “instigated” violence. He claimed that she had brought “armed goons” to attack local TMC leaders and those persons had opened fire at the spot. Molla, however, is yet to file a police complaint in this regard.
“The party lost in Usharani Mondal’s own booth area in the Lok Sabha elections…She is now resorting to such tactics to gain political mileage,” he alleged. “She has close ties with the BJP and has been sidelined by the party (TMC). This is a desperate attempt to tarnish our image,” claimed Molla.
Molla alleged, “Armed goons brought by Mondal attacked our panchayat pradhan Mallika Mondal and her supporters. Shots were fired. The MLA is cornered. She did not attend a meeting convened by the Chief Minister after the polls. She (MLA Mondal) has been targeting our panchayat pradhan.”
Panchayat pradhan Mallika Mondal claimed to mediapersons, “Several rounds were fired. They vandalised my house, broke open the doors.”
The police said they would look into these allegations if a formal complaint is received, adding that a probe was on into the MLA’s allegations.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said on Friday, “This incident has no connection with the coming bypolls. It’s a fight between two groups within the TMC over looting money meant for the common public.”