Kolkata: In a video that has been shared multiple times on social media, a man identified as a local Trinamool Congress leader was seen brutally beating a woman in Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district.
The beating, attended by a large crowd, took place on the street in Ghemtagach village within the Lakhimpur Gram Panchayat of the district.
The incident took place on June 28. Until the matter came to light over the past weekend, through the sharing of the video, the crowd did not intervene or inform the police, reportedly out of fear.
The Wire reached out to the superintendent of police at the Islampur police district, Dr Joby Thomas K. He said, “An incident from the Chopra area at the local level has come to our attention. The police have filed a suo motu case. One person has been arrested. The police investigation will continue.”
Later, on the evening of June 30, police also wrote in X that efforts are being made to spread misinformation on the incident. Police did not speak about the party affiliation of the accused.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh has condemned the incident on social media. On X, he posted, “I strongly condemn the Chopra incident. That person must be punished in a tough way. Thanks to Police that they have arrested him. Police is doing their job. No political person should defend this kind of acts. The silent spectators also responsible and must be booked.”
A kangaroo court
The survivor, identified as Sultana, was purportedly accused of having left her husband and two children and run away with a man, Rajiv, to the Matigara area near Siliguri seven days ago. Rajiv and the survivor returned to the village on June 28, causing an uproar.
Tajimul alias ‘JCB’, a well-known strongman of the ruling party in the area, convened a village council meeting. In a kangaroo court, he reportedly declared that Sultana must pay a fine for marrying a second time. She was ordered to pay her former husband Rs 3 lakh and Tajimul, Rs 2 lakh.
According to eyewitnesses, Sultana reportedly told the kangaroo court that she had no money to pay.
Tajimul, enraged by Sultana’s response, claimed she had insulted him and declared he would respond with violence. From around 12:30 pm, Tajimul beat the woman for about an hour. Rajiv too was beaten, according to some onlookers.
Locals said that it was only four or five hours after the incident that police from the Chopra police station arrived and took the unconscious couple to a hospital. They are undergoing treatment now.
The Wire has confirmed that Tajimul is the person who has been arrested and that he has got bail as well.
Tajimul is known to be the right-hand man of Chopra MLA Hamidur Rahman and is reportedly an accused in multiple murder cases. He is the prime suspect in the murder of Mansur, a young CPI(M) worker who was shot dead during a nomination procession in the Panchayat elections last year.
Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahman denied any involvement with the group but told reporters that the woman seen in the video is an ‘evil beast’. “We condemn the incident. But the woman also did wrong. She left her husband, son, and daughter and became an evil beast. There is some code and justice according to Muslim rashtra. However, we do agree that what happened was a bit extreme. Now, legal action will be taken in this case,” he said.
Locals have mentioned living in fear.
Former MP and CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim claimed in a post on X that the person who shot the video has already been ousted from the village.
The Wire’s sources have confirmed this, and added that another man who played a role in the circulation of the video has been “fined” Rs 50,000.
A previous incident
Such kangaroo courts are the mainstay of Chopra, sources said. People are fined exorbitant amounts, which end up going to local leaders, they added.
On June 16, 12 days before the recent incident, another couple, identified as Jahangir and Maleka Khatun, were brutally beaten by the same group over alleged adultery. The Wire has reviewed a disturbing video of the incident. According to the person who shared the video, the kangaroo court, presided over by Tajimul, fined the couple Rs 13 lakh.
“This is how it works here. JCB is the lord of the land in Lakshmipur GB. From petty theft to adultery – everything has a price, and he gets a share. The police and administration are aware of this. JCB is a close aide of Chopra TMC MLA Hamidul Rahman, so no one will touch him,” said an eyewitness, whose name is not being mentioned for safety reasons.
