Police have registered cases against Khagen Murmu and Jewel Murmu, the MP and the MLA of the BJP representing the Malda North and the Habibpur constituencies, respectively, in connection with a road blockade and alleged vandalism of a police outpost recently.
The BJP denied the charges and alleged that the police were acting at the behest of the Trinamul Congress.
Burhan Murmu, a 63-year-old BJP worker, had been found dead at his house under the jurisdiction of the Bamangola police station on July 16. BJP leaders alleged that his son and daughter-in-law had murdered him and then hanged the body to make it look like a suicide.
Burhan had campaigned for the BJP even though his daughter-in-law had contested as a Trinamul candidate in a panchayat seat. She lost to the BJP candidate in the recent polls.
The following day, BJP supporters assembled and blocked SH10, a road that connects Nalagola with Malda, in protest against Burhan’s alleged murder.
According to police sources, led by Khagen Murmu and Jewel Murmu, the BJP workers blocked the road at Vivekananda More from 2.15pm to 4.25pm. Traffic came to a halt along the stretch because of the blockade.
A team from the Nalagola police outpost which is under the jurisdiction of the Bamangola police station reached the spot and asked the protesters to clear the road.
“They didn’t listen and attacked the police team. Additional forces were sent to clear the road,” said a police source.
On the same day, that is, on July 17, a section of BJP supporters also demonstrated in front of the police outpost. There are allegations that they tried to enter inside and when resisted, ransacked it.
After the incidents, the police registered two cases based on complaints filed by a police sub-inspector.
Charges like assaulting public servants and obstructing them from discharging their duties, indulging in rioting, criminal intimidation and causing obstruction in a public way have been brought against them.
BJP leaders said Khagen and Jewel were vociferous in their protests against the Mamata Banerjee government and the police after two women had allegedly been assaulted and stripped by a mob at Pakuahat and that was why the "false cases" were foisted on the duo.
Pakuahat is under the jurisdiction of the Bamangola police station.
The women were attacked on July 18, a day after the BJP’s protests and the alleged vandalism of the outpost in connection with Burhan’s death.
“It was a peaceful demonstration and none of us attacked the police. The police outpost was not vandalised either. Along with the MLA and the MP, 18 others have been named in the cases. This is just a political move to weaken our movement against the Pakuahat incident and the murder of our worker,” said Ujjwal Dutta, the president of the Malda north (organisational) district of the BJP.
Khagen, along with Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee and some others, held a demonstration outside the Parliament building in New Delhi on Monday to protest against the Pakuahat incident.
Later in the day, Khagen said in a video message from Delhi: “Trinamul is using police to gag us and prevent us from moving around freely. We will seek legal help.”
District Trinamul leaders have said the MP is resorting to theatrics.
“He and his party are confronting the challenge of a withering support base. That is why he is resorting to such things to rally his people,” said Babla Sarkar, a Malda district vice-president of Trinamul.
Bail granted
A court in Malda on Monday granted bail to two women who were assaulted and stripped at Pakuahat.
The duo were attacked and stripped on July 18. They were arrested on the same day in connection with the vandalism of the Nalagola police outpost a day earlier.
