The inspector-in-charge of Birbhum’s Suri police station was on Tuesday dragged by the collar of his uniform allegedly by a Trinamool worker when he tried to arrest a TMC youth leader during a clash between two factions of the ruling party over government land near district headquarters.
“We arrested 20 persons in connection with today’s (Tuesday’s) incident (the attack on the cop) near Suri. We also seized three firearms with six rounds of ammunition. The police will not spare anyone involved in the incident,” said Amandeep, Birbhum’s police superintendent.
A source stated that a faction of TMC supporters in the Mini-steel area near Suri town had been trying to grab a stretch of government land for the past few months.
On Tuesday morning, this TMC faction allegedly hired three gunmen to take control of the disputed land, prompting a rival group of the same party to resist. A fierce clash broke out, prompting Suri’s inspector-in-charge, Sanchayan Banerjee, to reach the spot with his team to restore order.
“When he went to arrest one of the goons, Babu Ansari, who is a local TMC youth leader of Mallikpur gram panchayat in Birbhum, party worker Amir Ansari suddenly grabbed the IC’s collar and dragged him forward. Other cops with Banerjee retaliated with their batons. But what happened was very humiliating for a senior police officer,” said a source.
Amir had been arrested for an incident of arson and was out on bail.
After Tuesday’s attack on the IC, Babu and Amir were arrested with 18 others.
Though incidents of Trinamool workers overpowering cops are not new in the state, Tuesday’s event in Birbhum prompted Opposition party leaders to criticise the Mamata Banerjee government over this
latest “audacity”.
“It is shameful that the people of West Bengal are no longer shocked by such occurrences! This is because the state’s law and order have collapsed under the incompetent and ineffective @AITCofficial government, which has turned the police into mere puppets. As a result, when the police try to apprehend criminals, they often end up being brutally assaulted by them, and miscreants openly dare to grab them by the collar,” state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar wrote on his X handle.
“Since @MamataOfficial solely relies on criminals to win elections, there is no longer any rule of law in West Bengal. Instead, the incompetent administration has created laws to suit its needs, turning the state into a haven for criminals, bombings, and firearms. Shame!” he added.
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said the Suri incident proved how the police were treated when they tried to intervene in
TMC’s infighting.
“The police officer had to salute goons while they were clashing with guns. The TMC’s goons wasted no time grabbing his collar as he showed courage. It will happen again and again. The police minister (Mamata Banerjee) should be held accountable,” Chakraborty said.
Senior TMC leader Anubrata Mondal said the party had nothing to do with the incident and the police would take action against culprits.
Barely 97km away, two groups of TMC workers clashed with firearms on a similar issue in Murshidabad. No one was injured. Murshidabad police initiated a suo motu case against members of both groups.
