Retired IPS officer and chairman of NGO Basantapur Education Society, Nazrul Islam, was allegedly thrashed and dragged out of his office by a Trinamul councillor and his aides in Murshidabad’s Domkal on Friday.

Accused councillor Majidul Sheikh, his relative Bhadu Sheikh, and one Jahangir Sheikh allegedly stormed into Nazrul’s second-floor office around 10am when the retired police officer was alone in his room. Nazrul alleged that they beat him up before dragging him down the stairs.

The injured Nazrul added that Majidul’s aim was to take control of the 200-odd bigha land belonging to the Basantapur Education Society.

“They (Majidul and the two others) let me go only when bystanders rushed to my help,” said Nazrul, who lodged a formal complaint against the alleged attackers with Domkal police in the evening.

The retired police officer said there had been a prior land dispute with his assaulters and he had won the legal battle. “I filed criminal cases against these persons in the past as well. Today they attacked me because they wanted the criminal cases I lodged against them over previous intimidations be withdrawn. When they realised they could not wrest the land from us, they attacked me,” he added.

Eyewitnesses said the police arrived around 10.30 am after the attackers had fled. They took an injured Nazrul to Domkal subdivisional hospital from where he was discharged in the evening.

Contacted over phone by this paper, Majidul did not reply. Chairman of the Trinamul-run Domkal municipality, Zafikul Islam, claimed the incident was “not political” and said “the law will take its course”. Murshidabad SP K. Sabari Rajkumar said the police would take necessary action. The three accused were absconding, the SP added.