Dum Dum Trinamool feud spills onto streets

KOLKATA: Factional feuds within the ruling Trinamool saw its worst on Wednesday when the vice-chairman of the Trinamool-run North Dum Dum Municipality were assaulted at his office by two contractors allegedly close to the chairman. The ruckus inside spilled on to the streets as the vice-chairman's supporters blocked roads and railway tracks and damaged police vehicles, bringing traffic in the Birati-Nimta area to a halt. Senior Trinamool MP Saugata Roy was mobbed by protesters when he reached the spot to pacify the crowd.

Even as a large contingent of police and RAF hit the streets to rein in the agitators, the protesters demanded immediate arrest of the two contractors, Nripan Das and Tapas. Calling it a planned attack, a Trinamool insider claimed: "Some Trinamool leaders of the area engaged criminal Babulal Das for the job. Das was present at the meeting held at the chairman's office, little before the attack. Das led the attack."

As the clash continued, the mob roughed up Nripan and Tapas, refusing to allow the police to take them in custody. They charged on towards the police jeep, while the a team from the Nimta police station made an effort to take the two contractors and Babulal Das to the police station. "The crowd stopped the police vehicles and tried to snatch the accused from their custody. They demanded that police returned the three to them. When the police refused, they attacked the police vehicles and took to heavy brick-batting," a local trader said. Later, the protesters blocked MB Road at Birati Banik More and also squatted on the railway tracks at Birati station. Some went on to attack the Nimta police station.

Even Trinamool MP Saugata Roy didn't escape the public wrath. Roy was caught in the melee till some Trinamool activists rescued him and took him to a safe distance. "We are shocked at the attack on the municipality vice-chairman by contractors. Nizamuddin is a popular leader in the area. We asked the police to take stern action against the accused. We want the administration to cancel their licence," Roy said. The Trinamool MP, however, was not ready to accept the nasty street fights as an outcome of rabid factionalism within the ruling party. "There is no faction within Trinamool. We are all Trinamool loyalists," Roy said. Trinamool secretary-general Partha Chatterjee refused to comment.