Goons beat up a few people and left two of them injured at Mondalpara in Jagaddal for protesting against their sleazy comments targeting women returning home after visiting Kali Puja pandals late on Sunday night.
Sources said after beating up the youths, the goons in a bid to terrorise the local residents hurled bombs. To protest against the incident and demanding immediate arrest of the goons, the residents put up a blockade on the Mondalpara-Kankinara Road on Monday morning.
The angry residents also observed a shutdown at the market against the deteriorating law and order in the locality. The three-hour-long blockade was withdrawn after a police team from Kankinara assured the agitators of action against the goons.
While the women were passing through the Sthirpara area in Mondalpara on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, the goons passed sleazy comments targeting them.
When family members accompanying the women protested against the abusive comments, the goons beat up the youths.
Local resident Ajoy Mondal said: “The goons attacked the youths with bricks and threatened them at gun point. Two of the youths suffered head injuries and were taken to hospital. They have also damaged a few motorcycles.”
Hearing the commotion, local residents rushed out of their homes but the goons terrorised them by hurling bombs. Sources said at least 10 bombs were hurled in the area but no one was injured.
Local resident Shibam Bhattacharjee said: “The area is in the grip of armed goons who roam around freely. Bombing and terrorising local residents have become a regular affair here. Our lives are on the edge.”
The police, however, called the incident as a clash between workers of Trinamul and the BJP over area dominance.
Residents at several places of North 24-Parganas district say they often wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of bomb and speeding motorcycles.
“Nights have become horrifying for us. During the past three months bombs continue to be hurled by goons. It appears that the entire jute belt of North 24-Parganas has turned into a stockpile of bombs to which goons have easy access,” said a resident.
An officer of Jagaddal police station said: “A case has been lodged over Sunday night’s attack. However, no one has been arrested so far.”
Acknowledging the spate of bomb attacks in pockets of Barrackpore, a senior officer of Barrackpore commissionerate said: “We have arrested a number of goons in the recent past but in most cases the accused persons are granted bail.”