A section of residents of ward 14 of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) gathered outside the residence of mayor Gautam Deb on Thursday morning and voiced their disappointment over the removal of their ward councillor Sraboni Dutta from the post of member, mayor-in-council (MMIC) of the civic body.
On Sunday night, Dutta and her daughter got into an altercation with some people in the city’s Ashrampara area. Sources said that Dutta, accompanied by her daughter, arrived in the locality after Ganesh idol immersion and became embroiled in a heated exchange with residents.
Witnesses claimed that she stepped out of her car, chased a few people and ended up in a scuffle before leaving the spot. The incident was shot in a video that went viral on social media. This made the Trinamool-run civic body of the city decide to remove Dutta from the MMIC’s post, and Deb announced it on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Dutta’s supporters alleged that the mayor had acted hastily without a proper inquiry and demanded a fair investigation. The residents insisted that Dutta had worked with dedication and should not have been dismissed without hearing her side of the story.
Trinamool insiders said the mayor had informed the party leadership in Calcutta about the incident and that such a decision was necessary for maintaining public trust in the SMC.
However, residents who met the mayor on Thursday said they wanted a probe into the incident.
“We believe injustice has been done to the councillor and want a proper probe. The civic authorities, we believe, have handled the case in a one-sided manner,” said a resident of ward 14.
Deb, when asked about the demand of the residents, was brief in his reaction. “Residents appealed for an impartial inquiry. We are looking into it,” he said.
Later in the day, Dutta, who had been in the MMIC of midday meals, parks and gardens, and child and mother care, responded by questioning the fairness of the move.
She said that supporters and well-wishers had been visiting her home since Monday, urging her to fight the decision.
“The mayor acted on a single version of the events without weighing my side of the story,” she said.
The controversy has split opinion in ward 14, where many residents credited Dutta for her past work while others welcomed the mayor’s intervention, said sources.
“It is yet another loss of face for the ruling party. For the past few weeks, Trinamool in Siliguri has been struggling to contain grievances. Even some councillors of the party are speaking against the ruling board at the SMC,” said an observer.