Kolkata, 15 October (H.S.): A shocking video showing a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader brutally assaulting a young man during a purported khap panchayat (kangaroo court) in East Burdwan’s Burdwan town has gone viral on social media, sparking political outrage across West Bengal.
The accused has been identified as Sheikh Kalu, a TMC leader from Ward No. 26 of the Burdwan Municipality, while the victim has been named as Amit Roy.
In the viral footage, Amit Roy is seen pleading for mercy as Sheikh Kalu mercilessly beats him with the blunt side of a sword and other objects. However, the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified by Hindusthan Samachar.
Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, shared the video on his social media account, alleging that incidents of public punishment and assault through such “kangaroo courts” conducted by TMC leaders have become commonplace in the state.
“There is no rule of law in West Bengal — only the rule of Trinamool,” Adhikari said, demanding immediate action against those seen in the video. “If such barbarity continues, Bengal will surpass even the brutality witnessed during the British and Mughal eras,” he warned.
Notably, a similar incident was reported in June 2024 from Chopra in North Dinajpur district, where another TMC leader, Tajmul Islam alias JCB, was caught on video brutally thrashing a woman and a man during a so-called kangaroo court over alleged illicit relations.
In his latest post, Adhikari also referred to previous incidents in Rajarhat-Bishnupur (North 24 Parganas) and Harishchandrapur (Malda), accusing TMC leaders of repeatedly taking the law into their own hands under the guise of delivering local justice.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
