The ruling Trinamul Congress in West Bengal on Tuesday issued a show cause notice to its Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahman for making statements supporting the public flogging of a couple that rocked the state.

The incident that happened last week in Uttar Dinajpur district was caught on camera, and the video that showed a man flogging the couple in public sent shockwaves.

"The party has show-caused Rahman for his remarks and has sought an explanation from him. The party in no way supports the incident or the remarks made by him," a senior TMC leader said.

The man seen in the video thrashing the couple with a stick was identified as Tajmul alias 'JCB', purportedly a TMC leader of Chopra and a close associate of Rahman.

Reacting to the incident, Rahman on Monday said, "The couple was allegedly engaged in an illicit relationship, which is why they were flogged. They were socially polluting society through their activities." "The woman was at fault for getting involved in an illicit relationship despite having a son and husband. Is this not a crime? Is this not an immoral act?" he added.

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