Trinamul leader K.K. Kalyani made a beeline for Arjuna awardee athlete Swapna Burman’s home on Saturday to express the party’s solidarity with her in the timber-purchase controversy.

The visit spelt out the importance of the Rajbanshi vote bank in the region’s politics, Swapna being the most famous face of the community whose votes matter in 30 of the 54 Assembly seats.

Swapna hit the headlines when on July 13 a special task force of the state forest department raided her house in Kaliaganj on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town and asked her for documents for the timber that the athlete’s family had bought to construct their house.

On Saturday, K.K. Kalyani, Jalpaiguri district Trinamul chief, visited her house. He spoke to Swapna at length and said that the party and the state were sympathetic to her plight.

The visit by the Trinamul leader comes within two days of chief minister Mamata Banerjee publicly standing by the athlete and even calling her up to pledge her support in the timber controversy.

The fact that the chief minister wanted to send out a tough message became clear as Sanjay Dutta, the range officer who had led the raid, was transferred. “The transfer of the forest officer, who we believe was instigated by somebody to hold the raid, is a moral victory for Swapna and her family. A probe would be conducted to find out who asked the forest officer to hold the raid,” said Kalyani.

On Thursday, a delegation of the BJP, led by Jayanta Roy, the Jalpaiguri MP, visited her house and spoke to her. Bangshibadan Burman, the general secretary of GCPA, called on her on Friday.

“All political parties are trying to stand by her as she is undisputedly the most prominent face of the Rajbangshi community,” said a political science teacher in North Bengal University.

Bangshibadan, who heads the Rajbanshi Bhasa Academy and the Rajbanshi Cultural & Development Board (both constituted by the state), also felicitated her and assured that he would stand by her.

Protests continued at the Belakoba forest range office in Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri, where Dutta, the range officer, was posted.

Local residents and people dwelling in the fringes of forests demonstrated in front of the office, demanding revocation of the transfer order.

Dutta, who has been transferred in the hill circle, has been posted in Kurseong forest division, said sources.