West Bengal: Debra MLA allegedly assaulted in factional clash amid extortion allegations

District Executive Member of the BJP's Ghatal Organisational District said,"The trouble stemmed from a fair (mela) being organised in the area. Certain individuals devised a scheme to exploit the event for financial gain, essentially to extort money. The MLA’s intention was for the entire community of Bali Chowk to be involved in organising the fair, but some local extortionists opposed this."

A factional clash within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) erupted in the Debra block of West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district on Tuesday, leaving Debra MLA Shubhasish Om injured following a dispute over community event management. The incident occurred in the Bali Chowk area during a party meeting over the distribution of forms. According to party sources, tensions flared into physical violence after disagreements arose over the control of an upcoming local fair (mela).

District Executive Member of the BJP's Ghatal Organisational District, Somen Mishra, described the episode as deeply regrettable, adding that the Debra MLA, Shubhasish Om, has been admitted to the hospital and is under medical observation. "An incident has occurred involving Debra MLA Shubhasish Om. It is an unfortunate event, something that should not have happened. He was attacked at Bali Chowk, where a meeting was taking place. Some individuals attacked him during the meeting. He has been admitted to the hospital; his condition is currently stable, but he remains under medical observation,” Mishra told ANI.

Detailing the sequence of events that preceded the attack, Mishra explained that the MLA had advocated for broad-based community participation to keep the celebration open and transparent, which reportedly drew opposition attempting to monopolise the event. “The trouble stemmed from a fair (mela) being organised in the area. Certain individuals devised a scheme to exploit the event for financial gain, essentially to extort money. The MLA’s intention was for the entire community of Bali Chowk to be involved in organising the fair, but some local extortionists opposed this. They were attempting to seize control of the fair to facilitate their extortion activities. The MLA was speaking out against this when he was attacked," Somen Mishra added.

Earlier in October, in a separate incident, former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen was detained by the Detective Department (DD) of the Kolkata Police in connection with the alleged MassArt financial irregularities case, police sources said on Wednesday. Sen was transported from Salt Lake to Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, according to police sources.

Reacting to Sen's detention, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Kolkata Police were acting within their jurisdiction and asserted that there must be evidence behind the police action. "ED and Kolkata Police are acting within its purview. I don’t have anything to say. Everyone knows his proximity to Mamata Banerjee. They would sing duet songs. Artists were looted. People have seen. He was the blue-eyed boy of the CPIM. They flow with the political wave. We’ve closed doors in the BJP for such people. There must be evidence and that’s why he’s been taken by the police," Adhikari said. (ANI)