A section of residents from Ratua in Malda district hit the streets on Monday and blocked a state highway for four hours, alleging that the son of Trinamul’s district president Abdur Rahim Boxi had encroached upon a plot that belongs to a local market committee.

“Babu Boxi, the son of the district Trinamul president, is misusing the political power of his father. He has encroached around seven decimals (4.23 cottahs) of land of a local market here in the last month and is making civil constructions on it. This is completely illegal,” said Sheikh Alam Choudhury, a local resident.

According to him, for decades now, a daily market has been held in the Hatkhola area of Ratua. “Had it been private property, how could a market run on it for over 40 years? He has blatantly encroached upon a part of the market land and plan to raise a commercial complex there,” Choudhury added.

Abdur Rahim Boxi, when asked about the allegations, appeared unperturbed.

“The land is in the name of my daughter-in-law. That is why my son has taken up construction work there. There is nothing illegal in it,” the district Trinamul president of Malda claimed. Son Babu could not be contacted.

However, aggrieved traders under the banner of the Ratua Dainik Hatkhola Bazar Samiti blocked the Malda-Harishchandrapur state highway around 10.30am to protest the alleged encroachment. A number of students of a local madarsa also joined the protest.

The demonstration halted traffic as protesters wielding placards and shouting slogans demanded an immediate halt in construction.

“Babu Boxi does not have any document to prove he owns the land. On the other hand, we have proper records of the plot. We approached the local police and block administration but they did not take any step so far. That is why we were forced to block the road,” said a protester.

A police team spoke with protesters. Finally, after four hours, the blockade was withdrawn around 2.30pm after the police promised to look into the matter.