Chief minister Mamata Banerjee spoke with a monk who runs an ashram in Cooch Behar on Wednesday and promised him all help from her side, three days after he was allegedly abused and assaulted by Nagen Roy aka Ananta Maharaj, a Rajya Sabha member of the BJP.

“I felt bad as I learned about the harrowing experience you underwent a few days back. It is unfortunate. I have sent something for you and we are there to extend all possible help to you,” Mamata is learnt to have said to Vigyananda Tirtha Maharaj over the phone.

On Sunday, Roy reached the Sitai Ramakrishna Vivekananda Sevashram run by Vigyananda at Saltibari village under the Sitai police station of Dinhata subdivision. While speaking to Vigyananda, who is also the president of the ashram set up in 2014, Roy got agitated and allegedly abused and assaulted the monk.

The treasurer of the ashram filed a police complaint against the MP and some of his associates the same day.

Udayan Guha, the NB development minister who is also from Dinhata, reached the ashram and met Vigyananda on Monday.

Around 11am on Wednesday, Guha went to the ashram again and called up the chief minister. Mamata responded and then spoke to the monk over the minister’s phone.

“I got the alms you sent me. I will make prasad and will serve it among the villagers,” a source quoted the monk as saying to the chief minister.

Mamata said that what she sent was “not alms but a gesture of our respect”.

“If I visit Cooch Behar, I will meet you. Also, if you face any problems, contact Udayan (Guha). The (Cooch Behar) MP is a local person and you can also speak to him,” she said, referring to the Trinamool MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia of Sitai.

Vidyananda, after the conversation was over, said: “I thank her for extending support to me.”

Many residents of Saltibari, who were present at the ashram during the phone call, said they were still aggrieved with Roy.

“How can an MP behave with a monk in such a manner? The police should take stern steps. Over the past 10 years, the monk here has raised the ashram and works a lot to impart education among our children,” said a villager.

Roy, who had denied the charges earlier, could not be contacted on Wednesday.

The district BJP leadership has distanced itselffrom Roy.

“Our party doesn’t support such acts. The onus is with the Rajya Sabha member and our party has nothing to do with it. A police complaint has been filed and the law will take its course,” said Sukumar Roy, the district BJP president of Cooch Behar.