Tension prevailed in certain areas of Malda district on Tuesday after irate residents staged protests against a sitting councillor of the Englishbazar municipality and a former MLA of Gazole, accusing them of collecting money from traders and job aspirants on false promises.

In Malda town, a group of agitated people gathered outside the residence of Ashok Saha, popularly known as Monu, the Trinamool councillor of ward number four in Government Colony-II area.

They raised slogans, demanding the return of money allegedly collected from small traders in exchange for promises of shop allotments at a hawkers’ corner in the ward.

According to the protesters, lakhs of rupees were collected from traders a few years ago. They alleged that although receipts were issued, the amount mentioned in the documents was significantly lower than the money actually taken.

“We were promised shops at the hawkers’ corner, but none of us got any allotment,” said Mrinal Mitra.

A few days ago, a complaint was lodged with the police against Saha and Gopal Nandi, one of his associates.

During the protest, the demonstrators put up a photograph of the councillor on the locked gate of his residence and hurled rotten eggs and slippers at it.

Saha is also a member of the chairman-in-council of the Englishbazar municipality.

Civic chairman Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury said the allotment of shops at the hawkers’ corner had apparently been conducted according to official norms. “However, we will look into the complaints,” he said.

In Gazole block, former Congress MLA Sushil Roy — who later joined Trinamool— also faced protests at the Kishan Mandi area of the block on Tuesday.

A group of protesters alleged that they had paid large sums of money to Roy after being promised jobs in primary schools.

According to them, neither were the jobs arranged, nor was the money refunded.

Police escorted the former MLA away from the area to prevent a further escalation of tensions.

Roy, however, denied the allegations and said some individuals had collected money fraudulently using his name.