Cooch Behar, December 08 (Siliguri Chronicle) – A new dispute has broken out within the Trinamool Congress in Cooch Behar ahead of party chief Mamata Banerjee’s visit on Monday.
The tension centres on the investigation into the August 9 murder of Trinamool leader Amar Roy from Dauaguri in Cooch Behar Block I.
On Friday, Amar’s father Mahim Roy publicly accused Rabindranath Ghosh — chairman of the Cooch Behar municipality and a senior Trinamool leader — and several of his associates of involvement in his son’s murder.
Ghosh strongly rejected the charge, calling it “a conspiracy to humiliate me,” a remark widely seen as directed at a rival faction within the Trinamool.
However, the crisis deepened on Sunday when Ghosh’s close aides — Parimal Barman (member of the Cooch Behar zilla parishad), Khokan Mian (district president of the party’s farmers’ wing), Azizul Haque, and other Trinamool leaders — demanded a CID investigation into Roy’s murder.
“We will file a defamation case against the false allegations made against us. Mahim Roy is being used to level these charges. We want a CID inquiry to identify those behind the murder and the conspiracy,” Barman said at a news meet held near the North Bengal Development Department (NBDD) office on the banks of Sagardighi.
Udayan Guha, the north Bengal development minister, and Ghosh are widely seen as representing rival camps within the Trinamool in Cooch Behar.
Adding to the tensions, Khokan Mian demanded the immediate removal of district Trinamool president Abhijit De Bhowmik, arguing that the post should be given to a leader from the Rajbanshi community. Bhowmik is considered close to minister Guha.
The accusations and counter-accusations come at a politically sensitive time, with Mamata Banerjee set to begin her district tour on Monday, culminating in a public meeting at Rashmela Maidan on Tuesday.
Mahim Roy has also mailed a written complaint to the police, naming Ghosh, Barman, Khokan Mian, Azizul Haque and others as suspects. “We have enough evidence. That is why we filed a complaint,” he said.
Amar Roy was shot dead on August 9 at Dodeyahat Bazar under Pundibari police station. Police have arrested five people so far. This is the first time the victim’s family has directly accused Trinamool leaders of involvement in the case.
Ghosh said: “These accusations are being made just as the chief minister is arriving. Mahim Roy is being influenced with fabricated stories. There has been a long-running conspiracy to humiliate me and prevent me from getting a ticket from the Natabari
constituency.”
Guha declined to comment. Trinamool district chief Abhijit De Bhowmik, however, defended Ghosh. “The parents are overwhelmed with grief and may have spoken out of emotion. I do not believe a senior leader like Rabindranath Ghosh is involved (in the murder),” he said.
