North Barrackpore Clash Leaves Elderly Man Dead, TMC Councillor Arrested
An 81-year-old man died after a violent altercation linked to a long-running dispute over alleged illegal construction in North Barrackpore’s Manirampur area, leading to the arrest of local Trinomool Congress (TMC) councillor Rabindranath Bhattacharya on Sunday.
The incident occurred on Saturday during a protest by residents opposing the construction. According to the victim’s family, the councillor allegedly assaulted Hemant Adhikari, after which Hemant’s father, Tulsi Adhikari, intervened and was kicked. Tulsi collapsed at the spot and was taken to Barrackpore Cantonment Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Although Rabindranath Bhattacharya and his supporters initially rejected the allegations, police acted after a formal complaint was filed by the family. The councillor was taken into custody on Sunday. The TMC subsequently suspended him from the party for six years.
Senior TMC leader and Barrackpore MP Partha Bhowmick criticised the incident and said the party would not protect anyone accused of wrongdoing. Police have stepped up security in the locality and are analysing CCTV footage while questioning eyewitnesses and nearby residents. Officials confirmed that the body has been sent for a postmortem to establish the cause of death, and investigations are also underway to check whether any local leaders were connected to the disrupted construction that led to the unrest.
