BANDH IN MATHABHANGA

CPM-Trinamul clash : Twin bandh in Mathabhanga

Normal life was disrupted in Mathabhanga during the 12-hour bandh called by the CPI-M and the Trinamul Shramik Congress today. Cooch Behar SP Mr Devendra Prakash Singh said the bandh passed off peacefully.

Yesterday, a clash occurred between the supporters of the CPI-M and the Trinamul Congress at Sikarpur of Mathabhanga. A few houses including that of the Sikarpur gram panchayat pradhan were damaged during the clash.

CPI-M leader Mr Prasenjit Barman alleged that recently the villagers had seized 26 cattle during smuggling out of those to Bangladesh. Latter, those were auctioned and sold out. Following this the raged cattle smugglers yesterday attacked the gram panchayat pradhan Mr Bhabendra Adhikary's house. The Trinamul Congress provoked the smugglers to do the crime, Mr Barman alleged. They called today's bandh to protest the Trinamul's attack.

A local Trinamul leader Mr Nazrul Haque alleged that a gang of CPI-M activists assaulted a Trinamul supporter yesterday morning and after that incident the Trinamul supporters chased the attackers away. Protesting the attack the Trinamul Congress supporters had staged a demonstration at the Mathabhanga police station on yesterday night.

President of Mathabhanga unit of the Trinamul Shramik Congress, Mr Alizar Rahman said they called today's bandh against the hooliganism of the CPI-M and the anti-people role of the police.

Cooch Behar SP Mr DP Singh said a Trinamul man and a CPI-M man were arrested in connection with the trouble.

On the otherhand, district Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said today's bandh in Mathabhanga was called without any prior permission of the party. In this case the party would not take any responsibility of any ill effect of the bandh. A probe was initiated on behalf of the party to reveal the actual reason behind yesterday's trouble, Mr Ghosh said.

In another incident, five CPI-M activists have been injured in a clash between the CPI-M and the Trinamul Congress supporters at Bhawer-thana under Sitalkuchi police station yesterday. Among the injured three were shifted to Mathabhanga sub-divisional hospital.

CPI-M sources alleged that a gang of Trinamul supporters suddenly attacked their party supporters. On the otherhand, Trinamul Congress sources claimed that the clash was an internal one of the CPI-M supporters. Police started a probe into the incident.