16 injured in TMC-BJP clash

At least 16 persons were injured in a spate of clashes between Trinamul Congress and BJP supporters in the Joynagar-Kultali belt of South 24-Parganas.

The clashes that began on Saturday afternoon continued till Sunday morning. The situation was brought under control by a large contingent of Rapid Action Force.

In Joynagar, 10 persons, including eight BJP activists, were injured. In Maipith, six were injured.

While most of the injured persons were admitted to Kultali rural hospital, two BJP supporters were shifted to a hospital in Calcutta.

Police said about 30 Trinamul activists led by Zakir Mondal had attacked BJP workers with sharp weapons and iron rods at Gurguria-Bhubaneswari in Joynagar on Saturday afternoon.

Trinamul lodged a police complaint against BJP supporters.

On Sunday morning, a clash broke out between the supporters of the BJP and Trinamul at Kishorimohanpur in Kultali.

Whiff of politics in ‘suicide’

Trinamul and BJP leaders on Sunday traded charges over the suspected suicide of an elderly couple in Jalpaiguri the day before.

Aparna Bhattacharya, former vice-chairperson of Jalpaiguri municipality, and her husband, lawyer Subodh, reportedly left a note saying some people were exerting pressure on them.

On Sunday, Sikha Chatterjee, the BJP MLA of Dabgram-Fulbari and Subodh’s sister, filed a police complaint against civic body vice-chairman Saikat Chatterjee, Trinamul councillor Sandip Ghosh and two others.

“In 2017, my brother exposed a racket in the sale of orphan children. Some influential people evaded arrest. These people, some of whom I have named in my complaint, were mounting pressure on him and his wife. That is why they committed suicide,” said Sikha.

Saikat Chatterjee, who also happens to be the district president of youth Trinamul, denied it and raised an old job-for-cash case with alleged links with the deceased couple and Sikha.