An eight-month pregnant woman was allegedly assaulted by a group of men in Narkeldanga in north Kolkata on Saturday when her husband and father-in-law apparently refused to “cooperate” with local Trinamul Congress leaders.
The woman’s family lodged a police complaint alleging that she had been assaulted over an issue related to the development of the building where the family stays.
Based on the complaint, the police have arrested eight persons from the neighbourhood and charged them under IPC sections on assault and criminal intimidation.
“All the persons whose names were mentioned in the FIR have been arrested,” deputy commissioner (eastern suburban division) Priyabrata Roy said on Monday.
Complainant Shib Shankar Das and his son Dipak alleged that they had decided to develop their house in Narkeldanga.
They had handed the property to a contractor who had left the work unfinished more than a year ago.
“Now, a new contractor wants to do the work but we are not satisfied with his credentials. When we refused, men backed by local MLA Paresh Pal and councillor Swapan Samaddar came to our house to threaten us. They asked us to meet the two leaders. But we refused,” Shib Shankar said.
However, when they refused, they (Das and his son) were arrested, he alleged.
“I went to the police station to report the highhandedness of the local leaders. But instead of listening to me, the police arrested me and my son.”
Shib Shankar and his son got bail on Saturday evening. They alleged that they returned home and found that their house had been attacked.
“My daughter-in-law, who is eight months’ pregnant, was attacked. This is a heinous crime,” he said. Dipak’s wife, who has been admitted to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, underwent multiple tests on Monday.
A doctor said: “There was no clinical sign of assault or injury. Both mother and baby are safe.”
A senior police officer in Narkeldanga police station said the father and the son had old arrest warrants against them, which were executed last week.
Trinamul Congress MLA Pal did not take calls from this newspaper on Monday.
Samaddar, local Trianmul councillor, refuted the allegations and said Shib Shankar was lying.
“This is an old dispute between him and his mother-in-law Shanti Devi, who is the original owner of the house.
Now, Das is trying to add political colour to this by making false allegations against me. No one has assaulted his daughter-in-law,” Samaddar said.
The Telegraph could not contact Shanti Devi.