Union Minister Shantanu Thakur demanded the arrest of all accused persons within 24 hours. Alleging attack on a bus carrying pilgrims to Baruni Mela (fair) in Thakurnagar town in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday night, members of the Matua community on Friday blocked the railway track at the Habra station in protest against the purported incident.
The protest resulted in disruption of train movement in the Sealdah-Bangaon section for some time but the police and the Government Railway Police cleared the tracks assuring an immediate action against the culprits.
So far, the police have arrested four persons, all residents of Barasat Kazipara where the alleged attack took place.
According to the FIR lodged, a bus carrying nearly 30 pilgrims from Garia Narendrapur was stopped near Barasat Kazipara and some people allegedly passed taunts at the women passengers.
This led to an altercation between the passengers and the miscreants who beat up Matua leaders Suman Haldar and Bidhan Haldar who were taken to a hospital in Kolkata, it was alleged.
However, the police in their initial investigation have found that a car collided with the bus carrying the pilgrims with both sides entering into a heated argument.
Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur said, “I will ask the administration to arrest all the accused within 24 hours. If they fail to do so, we will act accordingly.”
Joy Prakash Majumder, who recently switched sides from the BJP to join the state ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), said, “I have been saying from the beginning that the BJP is hatching conspiracies. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has done the most for the Matuas who have always been by her side. This incident was planned by the BJP. ”
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