Bengal: Trinamool leader ties, beats, drags woman teacher over land-dispute
What's the story
In a despicable incident, a female teacher in West Bengal's South Dinajpur district was tied, beaten, and dragged for resisting a land acquisition attempt.
The brutal attack was led by Amal Sarkar, a member of the ruling Trinamool Congress. He was suspended after a video of the attack surfaced.
Apart from the woman, her sister, and mother were also beaten by the group.
Beginning
Teacher resisted administration's demand of more land
The attack took place on Friday but gained attention only after the victim, Smritikana Das registered a complaint against Sarkar, a Trinamool panchayat leader.
A resident of Nandanpur, Das works as a teacher on a contract basis at Sayrapur KMB High School in Gangarampur.
She had agreed to give up her land for road construction but when the administration demanded more land, she protested.
Assault
Dragged, beaten, and locked up: Das went through horror
As per reports, the road was supposed to be 12-feet wide, but later Das was told that it would be 20-feet wide.
So when bulldozers and road rollers arrived at the spot for the construction, she protested and was assaulted.
A video showed that Das was tied at her knees and dragged for some 30 feet. She was also locked up inside a house.
Rescue
Das' sister was beaten too, she filed police complaint
When her sister Soma intervened, she also met the same fate. The sisters were rescued by some villagers and then rushed to a hospital.
While Soma was discharged after first-aid, Das was released on Sunday morning.
After getting discharged, the first thing that Das did was register a complaint against Sarkar and others.
She claimed her mother, brother, and sister-in-law were assaulted as well.
Quote
Gave up land without compensation for village: Das
"The panchayat needed a portion of our land for the road. The panchayat administration started the work without our consent. Even then, I was ready to part with the land required for a 12ft-wide road without compensation in the interest of the village," she said.
Reaction
Trinamool removed Sarkar, BJP attacked ruling party
Purnendu Kundu, the inspector-in-charge of Gangarampur police station, where the complaint was lodged, said an investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, Arpita Ghosh, the district president of Trinamool, said Sarkar has been expelled.
Wading into the incident, Balurghat BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar said Trinamool talks about women's safety but the reality is different. Calling it a barbaric attack, Majumdar demanded the arrest of all accused.
Statement
Law and order situation in Bengal has worsened: Majumdar
Revealing that Das is a BJP worker, Majumdar said, "She was severely beaten up. Only Trinamool can inflict such a horrific attack on our workers. This clearly shows why the law and order situation has worsened in West Bengal."
Meanwhile, Ghosh promised that an inquiry has been initiated and appropriate action will be taken.
Notably, no one was arrested till late Sunday.