27 held for syndicate clashes

KOLKATA: The twin syndicate clashes at Baguiati and New Town on Friday have upset the top Trinamool leadership that is facing elections in 92 municipalities across the state.
Bidhannagar police swung into action on Saturday and arrested 27 persons for their involvement in the scuffle at New Town’s Habibpur.
Among the arrested persons, 18 reportedly belong to the camp of an MLA while the rest are allegedly close to an MP.
RAF has been deployed in the area and officers of adjoining police stations have also been put on alert.
Tension gripped the area on Saturday when supporters of both the warring factions of the party assembled in front of the police station hoping to bail out their colleagues.
Recounting Friday’s incident, sources in New Town police said that a truck of Nabadisha Syndicate (controlled by men close to the MP) carrying stone-chip was stopped by men of Dreamland Syndicate, which owes its allegiance to the MLA. When a few persons of Nabadisha turned up at the spot, they were brutally beaten up by members of Dreamland Syndicate.
The MLA, a known Mukul Roy sympathizer, was even a few weeks ago rumoured to be planning to leave Trinamool along with Roy. However, he is very much back in the fold of the party’s things now, though his future is still under some scrutiny.
Party insiders said the two factions of Trinamool have been fighting since the 2013 panchayat elections over who will have control over supply of construction materials in Rajarhat New Town. The faction owing allegiance to the MLA is reportedly more powerful in the area.