63-year-old asthma patient's hubby & son thrashed for cracker protest in Kolkata's Entally
Times of India | 5 November 2024
KOLKATA: A security supervisor, Sayan Kundu (30), was assaulted thrice outside his Ananda Palit Road home on Sunday evening and suffered multiple injuries after 15-18 persons thrashed him for protesting against bursting of loud crackers outside his residence.
Kundu has an ailing mother. When his father Sushil (63) tried to intervene, he was also abused and assaulted. A father-son duo - Raju Roy (51) and Sujoy (19) - has been arrested for the assaults that took place between 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm.
Sayan said he and his father protested as his mother, Khukumoni, an acute COPD patient with high blood pressure and sugar, was having trouble breathing, and signs of palpitation were evident. The father said Sayan could have been killed had some local women not come to his rescue when he was attacked the second time with bricks.
Sayan alleged that cops at Entally police station had initially tried to brush off the incident by lodging a GD and tried to 'settle' the matter. The police have denied the claims, saying the time taken was to draw up an FIR. Sayan said: "On Diwali, residents of Chhatubabu Lane burst crackers till 4 am. On Sunday, after my elder brother left home, around 10 people began bursting chocolate bombs at our doorstep. My father asked them to do so somewhere else," said Sayan.
Instead of empathising with the family's situation, the revellers got into an altercation. When Sayan stepped in, he was allegedly attacked.
"I questioned why crackers were being set off in front of the house. When three men attacked me, I refused to relent. They kicked and hit me. Though they left after a few minutes, they returned soon after, this time with around 20 men. They picked up bricks and began hitting me on my head. I began bleeding. They also used bamboo sticks to hit me. It was only when some local women dragged me to a house that the assault stopped. When I was going to lodge a police complaint, three youths again attacked me," said Sayan.
"Sayan was assaulted by some locals as the family and Sayan himself protested against bursting of crackers in front of the house. Later, the culprits hit Sayan on his head with a brick. Sayan was treated and discharged from NRSMCH. A case has been initiated under BNS 118(1) and 54. Two have been arrested," said Gaurav Lal, DC (ESD).