A Trinamool Congress-led panchayat leader and his supportersallegedly tied up and dragged and beaten up two sisters, who protested againstbuilding a village road on private land at Dakshin (South) Dinajpur district innorth Bengal.
One of the victims, Smriti Kana Das, 29, lodged acomplaint with the police on Sunday. TMC panchayat leader Amal Sarkar wassuspended by the party after a video, showing the woman being tied up anddragged, emerged on Sunday. The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, claimed thatwoman was a supporter of the saffron party.
Inspector-in-charge of Gangarampur police station,Purnendu Kumar Kundu said they have received a complaint and investigation ison. However, no arrests have been made so far.
The victim, in her complaint, said that Sarkar and four others assaulted her with an iron rod when she protested against building a road on land that belongs to her family. She said, "The TMC leaders and his supporters tried to hit me on my head with an iron rod. I somehow managed to dodge the attack. When I fell down they tied my legs with a rope and dragged me for nearly 30 feet. I was beaten up, my modesty was outraged and I was threatened."
The complaint also said that when Smriti Kana Das wasbeing assaulted, her sister Shoma Das protested and tried to save her. But theaccused attacked Shoma also and snatched her gold chain and mobile. When shefell on the ground the accused allegedly tied her legs and dragged her down theroad. She was kicked and punched too, the complaint said.
Meanwhile, South Dinajpur TMC President Arpita Ghoshsaid that the law will take its own course and they immediately suspendedSarkar from the party. But one should also not stop development work, saidGhosh.
