Bhangar: Four more detained in TMC factional clash

While P K Tripathi, Superintendent of Police of South 24-Parganas, said Panchu was arrested on Saturday from Santragachi, Panchu maintained that he had surrendered. “I have been framed because I raised my voice against the malpractices of Arabul Islam (a senior TMC leader),” Panchu said.

Two separate FIRs had been filed by the family members of the two deceased — Bapon Mondal and Ramesh Ghoshal — at the Kolkata Leather Complex police station, police said.

Villagers and Opposition party CPI-M claimed that the intra-party clash took place because of a rivalry over control of the local panchayat at Deota village in Bhangar, which is a TMC stronghold where the local gram panchayat is also controlled by the party.

Panchu had earlier alleged that he had been threatened by Arabul and his men. “I have been told that I was the gram pradhan and should stick to my work and not worry about developmental work,” he said.

Arabul told reporters that TMC leader and state education minister, Partha Chatterjee, would speak on the issue.

Chatterjee, who had earlier said the clash was an internal party issue, told in a press conference that no one spreading violence would be spared. “Under no circumstances, would those involved in spreading violence, be spared, whichever party they belonged to, even if they are from our party,” he said, adding that the TMC had set precedence of putting their party members behind bars if found guilty of an offence.

Asked if any step would be taken against Arabul, he said, “It would be the party’s decision.”

Reacting sharply to the incident, Rahul Sinha, state BJP president said, “It is a fight between two groups of TMC. They have been fighting over their shares of money earned in unfair means through syndicates and extortion in the area.”

Adhir Chowdhury, president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee demanded Arabul’s arrest. “The former gram pradhan, who is a TMC man, alleges that Arabul was involved in syndicate raj and extortion. He should be arrested immediately,” he said.