Kolkata, 04 June (H.S.) : A group of local residents staged a protest on Thursday in the Entally area of Kolkata against Trinamool Congress leaders Sandeepan Saha and Swarnakamal Saha, alleging widespread corruption, extortion, and illegal collection of “cut money”.

The protest march, which took place in the morning, reportedly saw participation from local residents along with a section of Bharatiya Janata Party workers and supporters. The demonstrators marched to the residences of both leaders, where they raised slogans and used loudspeakers to voice their anger. Symbolic acts of protest were also carried out, including hanging brooms and shoes outside their homes and chanting “thief, thief” slogans.

According to the protesters, the two leaders were involved in alleged activities such as forcibly occupying flats and houses, failing to return money, engaging in extortion, and misleading residents through false promises. Locals said they had been suffering for a long time and eventually decided to take to the streets due to continued alleged harassment.

Neither of the two leaders was present at their residences during the protest.

The incident comes amid a deepening internal crisis within the Trinamool Congress. A day earlier, a split emerged within the party’s legislative ranks, with 59 rebel MLAs supporting expelled TMC MLA Ritrabrata Banerjee, who was subsequently elected as Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

Following allegations related to forged signatures in a legislative meeting register, the Trinamool Congress expelled both Ritrabrata Banerjee and Sandeepan Saha from the party earlier this week after a formal complaint was submitted to the Assembly Speaker.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh