Trinamul youth leaders in East Midnapore’s Kolaghat have accused an area committee president of the ruling party of selling off a party office, allegedly built on irrigation department land, at the tourist town’s Ganga More area.

The youth leaders filed a formal complaint with the party’s block president Asit Bandopadhyay against area committee president Manab Kumar Samanta in connection with the alleged sale of the party office last week.

Samanta, who is also a former panchayat samiti chief, countered that the office had been his “personal property”.

Trinamul youth workers from Gokulnagar said that on Friday evening they found all party banners gone from the 1,000sqft one-storey office. On asking why, they were told that the building had been purchased by trader Sheikh Raja for Rs 8.3 lakh.

“This office was built on irrigation department land two years ago. It was the party’s election office during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2018 panchayat polls. Now, Samanta has sold it off as if it had been his personal property,” said youth leader Sayyad Aslam.

Explaining that the office had been built with “contributions by party members”, Aslam added: “Samanta merely had the keys to the building. He has betrayed our trust.”

Aslam said that several youth leaders had urged Bandopadhyay to take action against Samanta.

Asked about the allegations, Samanta presented his version. “I have constructed this building. I may have allowed the party to use it, but it was always my property,” Samanta said, adding that he had transferred the property to Raja through a notarised agreement.

Samanta said that “several private homes” had been constructed on irrigation department land in the past as well and that he was unaware “if rules against such constructions had changed recently”.

Asked why the irrigation department did not take action against the Trinamul Congress for building a party office on land owned by them, executive engineer of the department Anirban Bhattacharya said he would inquire into the issue.

Trinamul block president Bandopadhyay said on Monday that he had received the complaint from the party’s youth workers and an “inquiry committee” would look into the allegations.

“A meeting will be convened next week on the issue. We are looking into the legal details regarding the property,” he said.