A private resort owner based in the Dooars alleged on Sunday that some local Trinamool Congress leaders locked his property as he didn’t meet their demand for cash.
Trinamool leaders, however, denied the charges and said the resort was locked because "illegal activities" used to go on at the property.
Sheikh Ziaur Rehman, who runs a resort in Upper Kalabari area in Nagrakata block of Jalpaiguri district, said: “Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, some Trinamool leaders, including the president of the local panchayat, met me and asked for money. They said it would be used for election-related work by the party. I paid them some money but they demanded a higher sum. As I didn’t yield to their fresh demand, they locked my resort on Sunday.”
Rehman, who went to police alleging highhandedness by Bengal's ruling party, said he had to bear losses as some tourists who were supposed to check–in on Sunday, went back. “They couldn’t get in as the main entrance has been locked,” said the resort owner.
Trinamool leaders, on the other hand, claimed that over the past few months, illegal activities had been going on at the resort.
“People living in and around the surroundings of the resort complained of certain illegal activities. Also, the owner had earlier engaged local youths in different posts. Recently, he retrenched them and brought in youths from outside. This left the residents disgruntled. On Sunday, they locked it,” said Prithviraj Chhetri, the Trinamool president of Angrabhasa-I panchayat of the block where the resort is located.
Chhetri denied the charge that they had demanded money from the owner ahead of the polls. In Jalpaiguri district, elections were held on April 19.
“It is a baseless allegation. Some of the locals might have carried our party flags as they demonstrated and locked the resort. The party has no role in it. We want the tourism industry to flourish in the Dooars but illegal activities will not be allowed,” the leader added.
A team from Banarhat police station visited the spot. “Probe has started,” said a police officer.
