The head of a Trinamul-run panchayat in Malda has been accused of rape by a woman in Kaliachak.

She has filed a complaint with police alleging that Paltu Mondal, the pradhan of Birnagar-I panchayat that is under Kaliachak-III block, has been threatening to drive her out of the village.

Mondal has denied the allegations.

Sources said the woman lives in the village with two minor daughters. Her husband is a migrant worker and stays in another state.

“In the complaint, she has mentioned that around three years back, she had got into a relationship with Mondal. She is four months’ pregnant now. During an earlier pregnancy, the accused had forced her to go for an abortion,” said a police source.

Her husband has come to know about the affair and is seeking divorce. Mondal has not met the woman for the past three months, the source said.

“She has alleged that the accused is intimidating her. She is clueless as to what to do in such a situation,” the source added.

Mondal said: “Some people have conspired against me and are trying to implicate me in a false case as the panchayat elections are ahead.”

Officials of Kaliachak police station said they had received the complaint. “The investigation is in progress,” said an officer.

Contractor killed

Malda: A 30-year-old contractor was found dead and floating in the Mahananda river in Malda on Saturday. He has been missing since Thursday.His family members have alleged that two of his friends have murdered him.

Police have detained the duo and have initiated a probe.Sources said Uzir Ali, who used to send people to other states to work as contractual workers, had left home with his friends Jahangir and Badal on Thursday.

“We suspect that his friends killed him and dumped his body in the river. The police should find out whether anybody else was involved in the crime,” said Yusuf Ali, a relative of Uzir.

Soumya De Sarkar