The Calcutta diocese of the Church of North India has written to the chief minister alleging that a Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) councillor had barged into a Church property in Barisha and threatened to shut down the premises over a repair work.

The Barisha property houses a nursing college for girls, an old-age home, an HIV hospice and an NGO.

The Church has accused the Trinamool Congress councillor of Ward 123, Sudip Polley, of having threatened the contractor and labourers involved in the repairs.

“Unfortunately, before we could complete the work, the local KMC Councillor of Ward No 123, Mr Sudip Polley’s people barged into the Girls’ Nursing College Compound, forcibly stopped the work and threatened the contractor and the labourers with abuses and dire consequences if they dare to continue with the repair work,” the diocese has written to Mamata Banerjee.

“They even went to the extent of saying that they would not hesitate to bring down the College, Girls’ Hostel and even the adjoining Shanti Nivas (old-age home) if their words are not paid heed to by the college and old-age Home authorities.”

The allegations have emerged at a time the state government has been trying damage control after Trinamool functionaries were accused of threatening officials at a Ramakrishna Mission property in Siliguri’s Sevoke in May as part of an attempted land grab.

The 81 Diamond Harbour Road property comprises Sister Florence College of Nursing for Girls, Shanti Niwas Old-age Home, HIV Hospice and Oxford Mission. There is a pond in the compound, which the TMC councillor alleged was being illegally filled for construction.

“I had information that they were filling the pond for an unauthorised construction, which is illegal. So I went to the nursing college compound,” Polley said on Friday. He also alleged that the bishop had approached him through someone, offering money “to settle the matter”.

“Had everything been in accordance with the system, why would the bishop approach me through his men to settle the matter? I can show more evidence if the bishop takes this any further,” Polley said.

Reverend Paritosh Canning, the bishop of the Calcutta diocese of the Church of North India, is out of the country and was not available for comment.

Raghab Naik, property secretary, Calcutta diocese of the Church of North India and one of the three signatories to the letter sent to Mamata on July 9, said the allegations were “baseless”.

Mayor Firhad Hakim said it was “a mistake” on the part of the councillor. “Even if something illegal was going on (in the property), the councillor should have informed his office. Councillors cannot go and stop work,” Hakim said on Friday.

Officers at Thakurpukur police station, in whose area the compound is located, said they had received the Church complaint and an inquiry is on.

An officer said: “A few weeks ago, we received a notice from the KMC that was served to the nursing college through the police. We sent it to the nursing college. Now, we have received a complaint from the Church. We have started an inquiry based on it.”

A KMC official said the Church was illegally constructing a floor in one of its buildings. “They did not inform the KMC about the construction or seek permission for it. Hence, we served them a notice to stop the unauthorised construction in the compound,” the official said.

Naik, of the Calcutta diocese, told Metro: “The students in the nursing college are mostly from villages. They are poor but meritorious. We are doing the repair work in the classrooms, kitchen and hostel, especially because water seeps during the monsoon.”

“The councillor’s people have been creating problems since April. They have
been threatening us and telling us that the highest authority, the bishop, has to go and talk to the councillor. They also demanded that the Oxford Mission ground be opened to the public. If that is not done, they threatened that they would remove the bishop and occupy the ground,” Naik said.

The repair work stopped about a month back.

“On July 9, we had written to the chief minister, mayor and the local police station. We have full faith in our chief minister and we believe she will resolve the problem,” said Naik.

The nursing college started in early 2006 but the building is more than 150 years old, a diocesan official said.

The letter from the diocese also expressed concern about the alleged threat to the bishop’s life.