Panchayat poll winners, allegedly kidnapped by Trinamool activists, return home

Photo: IANS


Four panchayat polls winning candidates in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, allegedly kidnapped by activists of the ruling Trinamool Congress since July 27, finally returned to their homes on Sunday.

All four of them were from the opposition camp and after returning, they alleged that they were being kidnapped by Trinamool activists to join the ruling party. They also alleged that during this time, they were being forced to sign some documents in presence of some local policemen who were in uniforms but refused to sign.

Among the four, three — Sushanta Mondal, Kamal Mondal and Puja Chattui — were BJP candidates, and the fourth a CPI-M-backed Independent Narayan Mondal.

They had all won from Krishnachandrapur gram panchayat under Mathurapur sub-division in South 24 Parganas.

Former CPI-M legislator and minister Kanti Ganguly, who filed the police complaint about the kidnapping of the four winning candidates, alleged that the local police were trying to downplay the incident by claiming that the there was no incident of kidnapping and the four candidates left their houses on their own.