The Trinamool Congress has found itself buffeted by allegations of party leaders unleashing atrocities in the name of kangaroo courts barely a week after the video of Tajemul Islam aka JCB publicly flogging a couple in Chopra in North Dinajpur became viral and led to his arrest.
A Trinamool leader in East Burdwan has been accused of torturing an elderly couple and their son for not appearing before a kangaroo court to settle a sub-judice marital dispute. The incident occurred at Kubrajpur village under Jamalpur police station last month.
As a punishment for flouting Trinamool’s Chakdighi block committee president Azad Rahaman’s “order”, his aides allegedly ransacked the couple’s home and assaulted the trio.
According to sources, Basir Ali, 30, who lives in Chakdighi-Kubrajpur with his parents, had married in 2018. However, his wife left soon after the wedding and filed a case of domestic violence against Basir. Basir and his parents were arrested and later got bail. The case is pending before the chief judicial magistrate’s court in East Burdwan.
Basir’s parents — Sk Borhan Ali, 57, and Sahanara Biwi, 55, — alleged that Rahaman’s aides came to their home on June 13 at the instigation of their daughter-in-law and asked them to appear before a kangaroo court for “settlement” the next day.
“They categorically told us to appear before Rahman on June 14 or face consequences. They threatened to kill us and torch our home if we didn’t appear. Nevertheless, we did not attend the salishi sabha as the matter is sub-judice,” Borhan said.
Later in the evening of the same day, around a dozen goons raided their home. “They assaulted me and my ailing parents and threatened to kill us. A police team, however, rushed in to rescue us,” Basir said.
They were admitted to Jamalpur primary health centre for treatment but
Basir was transferred to Burdwan hospital. Since then, the family is staying at an undisclosed location.
The couple has written to chief minister Mamata Banerjee seeking help apart from lodging a police complaint.
Police chief of East Burdwan, Amandeep, said: “Appropriate legal action will be initiated after a probe”.
Rahaman denied the allegations. “I did not convene any such settlement meeting and I don’t even know about any such incident. I have been falsely implicated,” he said.
Trinamool’s district president Rabindranath Chattopadhyay claimed ignorance about the incident.
Extortion cuffs
The police in North Dinajpur have arrested a Trinamool Congress worker for extorting money on the pretext of a “fine” imposed in kangaroo courts.
Mohammad Khaleq was picked up from a village in Islampur subdivision of Raiganj district on Thursday night.
Sources said Khaleq and his brother Abdul, both local Trinamool leaders, used to hold “salishi sabha” in different villages of Sujali, a panchayat under Islampur block, on flimsy pretexts along the lines of Tajelum Islam aka JCB of Laxmipur of Chopra block.
The brothers were also involved in land grabbing.
“Abdul and Khaleq have unleashed a reign of terror in and around Sujali. Like JCB, they would often convene salishi sabha on the pretext of settling disputes. In such meetings (kangaroo courts), they used to impose hefty fines on us and we had no other option but to pay them,” said Jahir Abbas, a resident of Sujali.
On Friday, Khaleq was produced in a local court in Islampur.
“The court heard the case and sent him to police custody for three days,” said a source.