Fresh political tension erupted in Murshidabad’s Beldanga on Monday after newly-elected Aam Janata Unnayan Party MLA Humayun Kabir locked the office of the Beldanga-II Panchayat Samiti alleging large-scale corruption in government welfare schemes during the previous Trinamul Congress regime. Kabir, who emerged victorious from both the Rejinagar and Naoda Assembly constituencies in the recently concluded 2026 Assembly elections, accused the Trinamul Congress-led panchayat body of misappropriating nearly Rs 28 crore under the “Paray Samadhan” programme.
Claiming that massive irregularities had taken place in the implementation of development works, the MLA put locks on the office gates and took away the keys, insisting that no official work should continue until a proper investigation is conducted.
The incident triggered widespread tension in and around the Beldanga-II Panchayat Samiti office and the adjoining Block Development Office premises. A large number of supporters of the MLA gathered outside the office complex while local administrative officials monitored the situation closely to prevent any untoward incident. Speaking to reporters after submitting a deputation to the Block Development Officer of Beldanga-II block, Kabir alleged that corruption had become institutionalised under the previous administration. He claimed that poor villagers were forced to pay between Rs 2-5 lakh for obtaining land pattas, meant for economically weaker sections.
“The poor were looted in the name of providing land rights. Money was collected from helpless people who were supposed to receive government benefits free of cost,” Kabir alleged. The MLA also levelled serious allegations against the officer-in-charge of Shaktipur police station. According to him, soil worth nearly Rs 70 lakh was illegally sold by misusing administrative power and the entire amount was siphoned off. Kabir claimed that written complaints regarding both allegations had already been submitted before the authorities.
Demanding a high-level inquiry into the alleged financial irregularities, Kabir said that no pending bills related to the disputed works should be cleared until the probe is completed. “A full-fledged investigation is necessary. Till the inquiry is over, no payment should be made for these projects,” he said. Kabir further maintained that he locked the office to prevent office-bearers of the Trinamul Congress-run panchayat samiti from entering the premises or tampering with official records linked to the alleged corruption. There was, however, no immediate response from the Trinamul Congress leadership regarding the allegations raised by the MLA.