A demand for chanda took a bloody turn late on Wednesday when a retired army officer and two of his family members were beaten up and stabbed for refusing to pay up for the Pujas and local club repairs.

Two weeks ago, Subhas Sarkar, army officer-turned garments dealer in Barasat, moved into a new house in Netaji Pally, under Barasat police station.

He caught the eye of the youths at the para club. On Tuesday, a few members of Vivek Sangha approached the family, demanding Rs 5,000 in cash for repairs of the club ceiling as well as the Pujas.

?Sarkar said the sum was too steep for him to pay immediately. He promised to try and pay as much as he could after the Pujas in instalments,? said neighbour Arun Saha.

However, the men, all in their 30s, didn?t pay heed to the plea and threatened to be back soon for the money. If he didn?t pay when they came back, they would take revenge on his only son Abhijeet, who had just finished college and was looking for work, they warned.

Late on Wednesday, five men from the club arrived at the Sarkar home, demanding payment. Abhijeet opened the door and told them it was impossible for his father to pay such an unreasonable amount, as he was going through a financial crisis.

The men then forced their way into the house, leading to a heated argument with Sarkar, his wife and son.

?You have to pay up now or your son will pay the price,? is what the men threatened, according to a neighbour. When the Sarkars refused to give in, one of the men whipped out a dagger. He first stabbed Abhijeet and then his parents when they tried to intervene.

Later, neighbours rushed in on hearing cries for help. The three were taken to SSKM Hospital, where their condition was stated to be critical.

Police conducted a raid and arrested three club members, including the secretary and president, according to home secretary Amit Kiran Deb.

A number of complaints of forced subscription ? routine harassment faced by thousands of Calcuttans in the run-up to the Pujas ? have been registered this year.

If faced with this Puja peril, call the Lalbazar control room at 2214-3230.