By Monotosh Chakraborty, TNN | Jan 8, 2013,
01.44 AM IST
BHANGAR: The attack on CPM
veteran Abdur Rezzak Mollah has bared the underbelly of the gory politics in
the bheri lands (wetlands) of South 24-Parganas.
Bhangar, a mere 28km from the city, was under
the writ of Mollah's party for years. Now, Trinamool Congress strongman Arabul
Islam calls the shots.
Arabul, a former MLA, is the prime accused in
the attack on Mollah - yet another criminal charge in a long list of pending
cases, from criminal intimidation to attempt-to-murder. According to police,
none of the cases have been dropped though Arabul has got bail in some.
The CPM has demanded his arrest within the next
24 hours. "We will wait for the administration to act by Tuesday noon.
Else we will stage a dharna in front of the police superintendent's
office," said Leader of the Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra.
The condemnation of Arabul across political
lines has come as a ray of hope to a woman from Bhangar, who was driven out of
her home and hearth in August and forced to take shelter in New Town, Rajarhat,
with her husband.
"Some men, led by Arabul, beat me up at
Satulia bazar in front of everyone, tore off my sari and blouse, and attacked
my private parts. They dragged me to the local dumping ground thinking I was
dead. That was on August 28," she told TOI on Monday. She went to Kashipur
police station to lodge a complaint but in vain. "Police did not initiate
an inquiry till I moved Alipore court. On hearing my complaint, the chief
judicial magistrate directed the officer-in-charge to start a case," she
said.
While the traumatized woman had to wait till
October for the police to start an inquiry, the man who is accused of
"leading the attack" is unfazed. "I do not know of any such
complaint. You can check with the local police," said Arabul.
Kashipur Police, however, recognised the
complaint. "Yes, a complaint was made by (TOI is withholding the name)
though her injury report doesn't confirm all the elements of the complaint, or
Arabul's having a hand in it," a police officer said. But he has not sent
the report to the court, saying the complaint is untrue.
The entire episode goes against the chief
minister's directive to police to take a complaint as and when a victim comes
to the police station.
However, the rules of the game changed when a
woman known to Arabul went to Kashipur police station to complain about a
family dispute. While the sub-inspector on duty took a few minutes to record
the complaint, Arabul angrily stepped into the police station and slapped the
officer. This was within days of the molestation complaint lodged against the
Trinamool leader. As usual, the police officer bore with the assault.
The Trinamool chief - who showed "zero tolerance"
to pay leaders Meer Taher Ali and the others who swayed with girls and showered
money on them at the party's foundation day at Bhangar - has been bearing with
Arabul for long. Is it because Mamata needs Arabul for the coming panchayat
polls?
Mamata's infinite tolerance for this infamous
leader from Bhangar has raised questions even among Trinamool circles. There
was not a word of caution from the Trinamool leadership when Arabul, the
president of Bhangar College, barged into the staff room in April last year and
allegedly threw a jug full of water at lecturer Debjani Dey.
Former Union minister Saugata Roy gave vent to
his disgust at a meeting of college principals held at Ashutosh College.
Trinamool minister Rabi Ranjan Chattopadhyay had also spoken against Arabul.
However, the CM kept mum while education minister Bratya Basu threw his weight
behind Arabul.
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