A woman BJP leader was arrested on Tuesday morning for demolishing three houses using a bulldozer over a land dispute in the Dinhata subdivision of Cooch Behar district on Monday.
Shaban Khatun was released later in the day after a court in Dinhata granted her bail.
Sources said Khatun had arranged an earthmover and demolished the houses of three of her relatives in Putimari 2 panchayat.
“We have been living here for around 30 years. It is our ancestral land. Yesterday, she (Khatun) came near our houses with the earthmover. Her father, brother and some other people were there, and they used the earthmover to demolish our houses,” said a member of one of the affected families.
“She is a leader of the ruling party, and we apprehend that she might take some more drastic steps. We are feeling insecure,” the relative added.
Khatun, however, claimed that her relatives had illegally occupied her land for years.
“The land belongs to me. I have just removed the encroachments from my land,” said the BJP leader.
After the incident, a complaint was lodged at the Dinhata police station against Khatun, her father, brother, and another individual.
Soon after, a police team reached the spot and seized the earthmover. Khatun was arrested on Tuesday morning.
District BJP leaders said the case related to a family dispute.
“Our party does not support anyone taking the law into one’s own hands. So far as the incident is concerned, the party is not standing beside her,” said a BJP leader in Dinhata.
Egg complaint
Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh lodged a police complaint at Kalighat police station on Monday, accusing a man of hurling eggs at him. Ghosh alleged that a man named “Chandan” attacked him in the presence of police personnel, who allegedly did nothing to stop him. He said the incident occurred in front of the residence of Mamata Banerjee, a Z-plus protectee. The complaint has also been submitted to the Calcutta police commissioner.