An elderly man and his family, including two Covid patients, were beaten up for allegedly refusing to pay goons at Panihati in North 24-Parganas on Monday night.
The elderly man’s wife and younger daughter, both Covid-19 patients in home isolation, who had tried to protect the man, were thrashed.
Sources said Biswanath De, 68, of Raja Ramchandghat Road, had sold off a part of his ancestral property at Deshbandhu Nagar last year, prompting local goon Raju Pal a.k.a. Tutul to demand a share.
De sought the intervention of a councillor, which resolved the issue for a while, but Raju started demanding money again recently, De’s elder daughter Sharmishtha, who is married and lives nearby, said.
Around 11pm on Monday night, Raju, his wife and some goons, landed up at De’s home and asked him to pay up Rs 1 lakh. When De refused, the goons led by Raju ransacked the house and thrashed him, his wife and younger daughter. “My father called me up. My husband and I rushed to save my parents and sister, but Raju started beating us too,” Sharmishtha said.
Sharmistha and husband Hemanta alleged Khardah police did not cooperate with them initially, and arrested Raju only after she posted about the harassment on Facebook.
DC (central) of Barrackpore Commissionerate Amandeep said the matter was being looked into.
