Miscreants pelt eggs, bricks at former KMC councillor over signing of form

Kolkata: Tension gripped north Kolkata’s Jorabagan area after a mob allegedly assaulted a former Trinamool Congress councillor and her family member, pelting them with eggs and bricks and reportedly vandalising her property.According to the police complaint, the incident took place on June 9 around 2.45 pm outside the residence of councillor Sikha Saha at Shankar Haldar Lane.Saha, who served as the municipal representative of ward 19 under KMC, lodged a formal complaint with Jorabagan PS on Wednesday in this regard. The police have registered a case under Sections 118(1), 79, 351(2), 324(2) and 54 of the BNS.According to police sources, trouble began when a woman identifying herself as a local resident called Saha downstairs, demanding that she sign a certificate or form.Recounting the ordeal, Saha said: “I went downstairs, spoke with her, and explained that since the KMC municipal board has been dissolved, I no longer had the authority to sign any certificate as a municipal representative. While I was saying this, my brother-in-law, Subarna Chatterjee, who also lives in the house, was present there.”Saha alleged that a group of men and women quickly gathered outside her home and began aggressively pressuring her. The situation deteriorated rapidly.“Soon, they started hurling verbal abuse at me and throwing eggs and bricks they brought with them at me, my brother-in-law and at the doors and windows of the house. I was struck on my head and body by the bricks and eggs and sustained injuries. My brother-in-law was also injured,” Saha claimed.The attackers went on a rampage, damaging the doors and windows of the property. Before fleeing the spot, the mob also allegedly smashed a CCTV camera installed near the entrance. The injured duo had to seek medical treatment from a private practitioner.“As a result, I, my husband, my young daughter, and the other members of my household are all living in fear and insecurity. Those people threatened us, saying they would attack us again at any time and even kill us,” the former councillor added in her complaint.The Jorabagan police confirmed that an investigation is actively under way to identify and apprehend the culprits.The violent episode has triggered panic among the local TMC functionaries. Saha’s apprehensions are heavily compounded by the fact that “egg attacks” targeting Trinamool netas and councillors have multiplied drastically across Bengal over the past two weeks. Following the party’s recent electoral setbacks, furious residents have routinely weaponised eggs and stones to express public anger over local grievances and corruption allegations.High-profile TMC figures, including national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, MP Saugata Roy, and MLA Madan Mitra, have faced similar hostile mobs recently, forcing local representatives like Saha to approach cops, said her loyalists.