Couple in 'illicit relationship' assaulted in West Bengal, video goes viral
Raiganj (WB), Jun 30: The West Bengal Police on Sunday registered a case after a video clip of a brutal assault on a couple allegedly engaged in an illicit relationship went viral.
The man who was seen in the video beating up the two with a bamboo stick was allegedly a local TMC leader of Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district where the incident occurred following a decision of a 'salishi sabha' (Kangaroo court).
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video which triggered widespread outrage.
Islampur Police Superintendent Joby Thomas K said the police have watched the video clip on social media and have registered a case after verification.
"We have initiated raids to arrest the culprit and will investigate the reason behind the act promptly," he said.
The video clip shows the man beating up the woman who grimaced in pain. The accused also thrashed a man with the stick.
The opposition BJP and CPI(M) accused the TMC of being involved in the incident and termed it "bulldozer justice" under the rule of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"This is the ugly face of Mamata Banerjee’s rule in West Bengal. The guy in the video, who is beating up a woman mercilessly... is famous for giving quick justice through his ‘insaf’ sabha and is a close associate of Chopra MLA Hamidur Rahaman," BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya said in a post on X.
He claimed that there is a Sandeshkhali in every village of West Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a "curse for women".
"There is no semblance of law and order in Bengal. Will Mamata Banerjee act against this monster or defend him like she stood up for Sheikh Shahjahan?" Malviya said in the post.
Shahjahan is an arrested TMC functionary of Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, where allegations of sexual abuse and land grab have been levelled against Trinamool Congress leaders.
Attacking the Mamata Banerjee government, CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim said in a post on X: "Not even #KangarooCourt! Summary trial and punishment handed out by d @AITCofficial goon... Literally bulldozer justice at Chopra under @MamataOfficial rule."
Local TMC MLA Hamidur Rahman, however, denied he has any connection with the accused and distanced himself from the incident.
He said it was a village matter and not related to the party.
TMC district president Kaniyalal Agarwal attributed the incident to the couple's alleged illicit relationship, which "did not go down well with the villagers".
He said that the party would investigate the episode.
TMC spokesperson Shantanu Sen condemned the incident but also pointed out that such kangaroo courts were common during the Left Front regime too.
This is the ugly face of Mamata Banerjee’s rule in West Bengal.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 30, 2024
The guy in the video, who is beating up a woman mercilessly, is Tajemul (popular as JCB in the area). He is famous for giving quick justice through his ‘insaf’ sabha and is a close associate of Chopra MLA Hamidur… pic.twitter.com/fuQ8dVO5Mr
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
