Woman 'assaulted' by puja committee members

A middle-aged woman was allegedly assaulted by members of a Durga Puja organizing committee in Sealdah area of the city after she objected that its puja marquee had blocked the entrance to her restaurant. The restaurant owner had raised her voice that the decision of the puja committee to set up the pandal in front of her eatery and many other shops would affect their businesses during Durga Puja.

However, the organizers denied the allegation saying, "We had an argument over the issue on Tuesday but she was not assaulted." It had earlier been decided that the organisers would leave a space of six feet in front of the shops but they did not do so, some shop keepers of the locality claimed. When the woman started recording on her mobile how the pandal had not left adequate space in front of the shops, some of the members of the organizing committee allegedly pushed and assaulted her.

She lodged a complaint with the police following which the law enforcers filed charges against the accused persons under Sections 354 (assault to woman with an intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC. The woman said, she has also forwarded the complaint to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's helpline 'Didi Ke Bolo' (Tell Didi).

The police said that the matter was being probed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)