KOLKATA: The ‘cut money’ heat reached Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence on Saturday after a group of men and women from Belur in Howrah reached Kalighat in Kolkata on Friday evening to protest against the ruling party’s local leaders who allegedly took cut money from them.
The group, comprising 100 odd men and women, came in two mini-trucks. However, security personnel guarding the CM’s residence pacified the agitators and stopped them from staging a demonstration in the high-security zone.
The group lodged a complaint with the chief minister’s office.
In the complaint, the agitators claimed that Trinamool’s local panchayat member Manju Mahato and her husband Tarak Mahato took money from them in lieu of guaranteeing them benefits under various welfare schemes of the state.
“We first went to Nabanna (state secretariat) to stage a demonstration and lodge a complaint. However, as we were not allowed to reach the main gate of the building, we decided to proceed towards the chief minister’s residence,” said one of the cut money victims.
“Tarak forcibly occupied government lands and started using them to run his business of supplying construction material.
"Whenever, we tried to protest against his ways, we were threatened by him and his henchmen.” Refuting the allegation, Tarak said, “Those accusing me have joined the BJP and they are trying to malign me and my wife.”
BJP man attacked for raising ‘ram’ slogan
A 35-year-old BJP worker was attacked by knife-wielding Trinamool supporters at Baruipur in South 24-Parganas on Saturday after he raised the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan.
Khokan Mondal, the injured worker, was admitted to a local healthcare centre with injuries to his face and hands.
Police, however, are yet to arrest anyone in connection with the incident.
BJP’s local leadership alleged Mondal participated in a procession on Friday that was organised at Rangabelia in the area where he had chanted the slogan along with others.