Rape charge on TMC leader, rivals ransack party office

BARASAT: At least six persons were injured and a Trinamool party office was ransacked following a clash between two groups of Trinamool supporters on Tuesday over an alleged rape in which a senior panchayat samiti member of the ruling party has been named as the prime accused. Sources said he has been accused of raping a college student at Amdanga in North 24-Parganas.The accused is yet to be arrested.
A faction of the ruling party, reportedly led by the Trinamool block president, demanded immediate arrest of the accused, Amdanga panchayat samiti member Nabin Maity, who belongs to a rival faction and allegedly enjoys the patronage of a Trinamool MLA.
Maity was allegedly having an affair with the survivor, a BA second year student of Bengali honours at Amdanga's Mirhati. On November 9, the girl lodged a complaint of rape against Maity with Amdanga police. "We fell in love with each other. He then raped me promising marriage. But he backed off later," the girl alleged in her complaint. Police said that she was later sent for a medical test to a Barasat district hospital. "On Monday, the complainant also gave a confidential statement before the first class judicial magistrate of Barasat district court," police said.
The allegation of rape against a Trinamool panchyate samiti member, also fuelled the ongoing factional feud between Trinamool MLA's and block president's factions.
Meanwhile, as the news spread in the locality, a tension broke out on Tuesday. A group of Trinamool supporters launched an agitation demanding arrest of the accused in front of a Trinamool party office at Mathurapur in Amdanga. When another group of Trinamool workers tried to resist them, a clash broke out. Some Trinamool men also ransacked the party office.
A huge police force rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. The MLA, who is allegedly close to Maity, reportedly asked the party leadership to suspend the accused. The situation also left the MLA embarrassed.
Sources said, trying to shrug off the controversy over the accusation of rape, the Trinamool MLA already recommended the suspension of the panchyate samity member from the party to the district (N24pgs) Trinamool chief and state minister Jyotipriya Mallick. Mallick reportedly told him that the accused panchyate samiti member would be suspended by the higher authority of the party.
"The law will take its own course. Our party never tolerates anybody in any kind of involvement in such a crime. If he is found guilty he should be punished," MLA said. "We suspect Maity would be arrested soon after being suspended from our party," a local Trinamool supporter said.