Kolkata: The Opposition in West Bengal has unleashed fierce criticism against the Mamata Banerjee-led government following the circulation of a disturbing video showing a man brutally assaulting two individuals, including a woman, on a public street as bystanders watched.
Opposition parties CPM and BJP have identified the video as being from Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district of north Bengal. The incident allegedly occurred over the weekend.
In the video, a man is seen repeatedly hitting a woman with sticks while a small crowd looks on silently. Despite her screams of pain, the assault continues unabated. The man then turns his attention to another man, beating him as well. Shockingly, some members of the crowd seem to assist the attacker rather than intervening. At one point, the assailant grabs the woman by her hair and kicks her.
CPM and BJP leaders claim that the attacker is a local strongman named Tajemul, allegedly affiliated with the Trinamool Congress and notorious for delivering “instant justice” in local disputes. The reason for the assault remains unclear. Local police have stated that they have registered a case and are actively searching for the accused.
The Trinamool Congress has asserted that the perpetrator, regardless of his political connections, will face justice.
Riju Dutta, the TMC spokesperson said,”What the BJP is saying is immaterial because they are politically bankrupt, they will say whatever they want to say. It’s a heinous crime. The Trinamool Congress doesn’t want to know who this guy is or what his political affiliations are. Whoever this guy is, the police are looking for him. The strictest arm of the law will be meted out to him. He will not be spared. He will be made an example as soon as he gets caught.”
The main Opposition BJP has condemned this incident as indicative of the “ugly face of Mamata Banerjee’s rule in West Bengal.”
“The guy in the video, who is beating up a woman mercilessly, is Tajemul… He is famous for giving quick justice through his ‘insaf’ sabha and is a close associate of Chopra MLA Hamidur Rahaman,” Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell and the party’s co-incharge for Bengal, said in a post on X. “India must wake up to the reality of Sharia Courts in TMC run West Bengal. There is a #Sandeshkhali in every village and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a curse for women. There is no semblance of law and order in Bengal. Will Mamata Banerjee act against this monster or defend him like she stood up for Sheikh Shahjahan?” He also flagged the issue to the National Commission for Women.
यह भयावह दृश्य किसी तालिबानी शासन वाले देश अथवा शरीया कानून के हिसाब से चलने वाले राज्य का नहीं है, यह पश्चिम बंगाल का दृश्य है जहां INDI गठबंधन की साथी दल TMC की सरकार है।
एक महिला के साथ इस तरह का दुर्दांत और तालिबानी व्यवहार मन को पीड़ित करने वाला है। pic.twitter.com/PCRZPfCsVC
— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) June 30, 2024
The video from Chopra was also highlighted by CPM state secretary and former MP Mohammed Salim. “Not even #KangarooCourt! Summary trial and punishment handed out by the @AITCofficial goon nicknamed JCB. Literally bulldozer justice at Chopra under @MamataOfficial rule,” he tweeted.
Salim added that the person who recorded the video has since been forced out of his home. “Such is the TMC’s rule in the liberated zone of Chopra under the supervision of @WBPolice,” he said. The CPM leader also claimed that Tajemul is implicated in the murder of a local Left leader.
Taking aim at both Trinamool and BJP, Salim suggested that the “Suvendu model” of justice persists in Bengal. “Murderers remain at large, and justice is denied in Bengal, thanks to @MamataOfficial & @abhishekaitc. This is a continuation of the @SuvenduWB model,” he stated.
