A march to protest alleged irregularities in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana culminated in a clash between CPM supporters and police at Nandakumar in East Midnapore on Friday.
Led by the secretary of the CPM’s East Midnapore district unit, Niranjan Sihi, a rally of CPM supporters reached the Nandakumar BDO’s office to submit a memorandum on “irregularities” in drawing up the list of beneficiaries of the PMAY.
Sources said when the protestors tried to make their way into the BDO office, police stopped them. They then blocked the Nandakumar-Haldia state highway for almost an hour. Reinforcements reached the spot and tried to lift the blockade.
Moving away from the highway, the marchers made a second attempt to enter the BDO office. A scuffle ensued and a subsequent lathicharge triggered a violent backlash by the protesters, a source added.
At least nine Left activists were injured. The police said five of them had been hurt.
Tamluk subdivisional police officer Saquib Ahmed said: “Police were deployed at Nandakumar BDO office to avert any untoward incident. Protestors tried to vandalise the office and when the police intervened, they attacked the cops.”
The CPM said the police had attacked a peaceful march against alleged corruption in preparing the PMAY list.
In Purulia district, all eight members of the all-women Trinamul Congress-run Bishri gram panchayat on Friday resigned to protest alleged corruption in the enlistment of beneficiaries under the PMAY.