In response to a disturbing video showing a guy beating up two people—including a woman—on a street while onlookers look on, the opposition in West Bengal has launched a vicious attack on the government led by Mamata Banerjee.
The footage comes from Chopra in the Uttar Dinajpur district of north Bengal, according to opposition parties CPM and BJP. It is said that the incident happened during the weekend.
The man who can be seen beating the couple has been identified as Tajmul Alias and he is allegedly a local TMC leader of Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district. As per the PTI, The incident took place following a decision of a kangaroo court.
The Incident
A small group of people is shown silently watching as a man is seen striking a woman with sticks several times in the footage. Even when she yells in agony, the attack goes on. Then he faces a man and begins striking him. The majority of the audience seems to be aiding the attacker rather than attempting to stop the assault. Eventually, the man reaches for the woman by her hair and kicks her.
While Tajmul was taken into custody by the West Bengal Police on Sunday, Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahaman referred to the woman’s actions as “unsocial.” He refuted the TMC’s connection to Tajmul, though.
Rahaman who is a TMC MLA told the reporters, “We condemn the incident. But the woman also did wrong. She left her husband, son, and daughter and became an evil beast. There is some code and justice according to Muslim rashtra. However, we do agree that what happened was a bit extreme. Now, legal action will be taken in this case,”
TMC party said that the matter will be investigated.
Union Minister and Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar took to ‘X’ and highlighted TMC MLA Hamidul Rahaman’s statement of referring to a “Muslim Rashtra”.
He posted asking, “Is TMC declaring West Bengal a state where Sharia law will be applied?”
Statements from TMC’s Hamidul Rahaman referring to a ‘Muslim Rashtra’ and discussing punishments under ‘certain rules’ are deeply concerning.
Is TMC declaring West Bengal a state where Sharia law will be applied?
pic.twitter.com/ozzZOEQJNu— Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) June 30, 2024
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya posted on X saying, “This is the ugly face of Mamata Banerjee’s rule in West Bengal. The guy in the video, who is beating up a woman mercilessly… is famous for giving quick justice through his ‘insaf’ sabha and is a close associate of Chopra MLA Hamidur Rahaman,”
TMC’s response
Kaniyalal Agarwal, the district president of TMC, linked the incident to the couple’s suspected extramarital affair, saying it “did not go down well with the villagers”.
He declared that the group would look into the incident.
While denouncing the event, TMC spokesperson Shantanu Sen also noted that similar kangaroo courts were frequently used during the Left Front government.
