Ritesh Kumar Dwivedi; the IT company director’s bruised back after he was assaulted allegedly by Trinamul leader Hiralal Bauri in Durgapur on Thursday. Pictures by Arup Sarkar

Durgapur, Oct. 23: A Trinamul councillor in Durgapur against whom a case of attempt to rape is pending has been accused of assaulting a director of an IT company early today, apparently for not paying Kali Puja subscription.

Hiralal Bauri, who had been absconding since a tribal woman lodged an FIR on April 22 accusing him of trying to rape her, was arrested this morning.

Ritesh Kumar Dwivedi, a director of iGlobal Impact ITES Pvt Ltd, which also has a BPO, was celebrating with firecrackers along with 25 colleagues around 12.15am when Bauri arrived with his associates and allegedly beat him up with iron rods.

Dwivedi, whose father is a BJP trade union leader, alleged that the four security guards on duty at Webel IT Park last night did not come to his rescue as they had been “recruited on the recommendation of Bauri”.

In the past few months, at least six industrial units in Durgapur have alleged vandalism and extortion by Trinamul leaders and workers. A section of leaders has also been accused of running syndicates that arm-twist companies into buying construction materials and hiring labourers from them. The chief of a small-scale industries association in Durgapur accused the government of doing little to rein in the syndicates, which operate in the garb of welfare societies.

Bauri being produced in the Durgapur court

Dwivedi said Bauri and his aides had “objected” to the celebrations.

“They accused us of bursting sound crackers, which we were not, and making a lot of commotion. When we tried to reason with Bauri that we were bursting noiseless crackers and celebrating inside the complex so that people in the neighbourhood were not disturbed, the Trinamul leader abused me,” Dwivedi said.

“I told him to go to police, but Bauri hurled flower pots and bricks at me. He and his aides beat me up with iron rods. I ran into my office and called up my wife, who is also a director of iGlobal, and told her to inform the police,” Dwivedi added.

He suffered injuries in his back, shoulders and neck. Bauri and his men allegedly vandalised a car before leaving around 12.30am.

Dwivedi said Bauri bore a grudge against him because he had not paid puja subscription to the Trinamul leader for two years. “Three IT companies, including iGlobal, decided two years ago that we would not pay any puja subscription. That is why Bauri is angry with me. He used yesterday’s celebrations as a ruse to settle scores,” Dwivedi said.

He alleged that personnel from the Faridpur police outpost, barely 500 metres from Webel IT Park, arrived half an hour after being informed. “The attackers had left by then. A colleague and I lodged a police complaint although Bauri had threatened us with dire consequences if we did so,” Dwivedi said.

“The four private security guards on duty last night stood silent spectators during the attack as they are Bauri’s supporters. I will lodge a complaint with the Webel authorities against them tomorrow,” Dwivedi said.

Bauri, who was arrested from his Durgapur home, was granted bail in the assault case by the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court today. He was, however, sent to jail custody till November 5 in the rape-attempt case.

Mani Kanchan Dutta, the administration coordinator at Webel IT Park, said she had been informed about the incident by iGlobal over phone.

“There were four security guards on duty last night and I will enquire why they did not come to the employees’ rescue,” she said.

Workers of BJP trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, of which Dwivedi’s father Dinesh is the Durgapur chapter president, demonstrated outside the local police station today and alleged that councillor Bauri got bail as the police did not bring the right charges against him.

The police denied the allegation. “We arrested Bauri and charged him with voluntarily causing grievous hurt, which is a non-bailable section. It is up to the court to decide on bail,” said Chandrasekhar Chakraborty, the officer in charge of Durgapur police station.

Trinamul working president and Durgapur mayor Apurba Mukherjee condemned the alleged attack. “Our party does not support such activities,” he added.