South Dinajpur district police have on Thursday served a legal notice to Trinamul district leader Pradipta Chakraborty, recently accused of forcing four tribal women to perform a physically taxing atonement ritual.

She has been asked to meet the police officer who is investigating the “dandi” atonement ritual case within the next seven days.

The notice was served within 48 hours after Pradipta was removed from the post of the vice-chairperson of Balurghat municipality.

She was accused of forcing four tribal women — Trinamul supporters — to perform the ritual on a street of Balurghat town as an act of atonement for joining the BJP for a day, before re-inducting them into her party.

After the incident, when videos of the women performing the ritual surfaced on social media, Pradipta was immediately removed from the post of Trinamul district president of the women’s wing. A tribal face, Snehalata Hembram, replaced her.

However, there was disgruntlement among a section of the tribal population — South Dinajpur has a tribal population of 17 per cent — over Pradipta’s continuing as the vice-chairperson of the Balurghat civic body. The BJP was also scathing on the issue.

Last Tuesday, when Trinamul national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reached South Dinajpur district as a part of his ongoing outreach, he met three of the four tribal women. Sources had said that Abhishek had assured them that steps would be taken against Pradipta. He also said that the stature of a leader doesn’t matter.

Soon after, Pradipta was removed from the civic body’s post.

Contacted about the notice handed over to Pradipta, Mrinal Sarkar, the district Trinamul president, said that the police were only doing their job.

“The party has taken appropriate steps against her. We are aware of the (police) notice and we want the law to take its own course,” Sarkar said.