Kolkata, 29 August (H.S.): The BJP has temporarily suspended its local leader Sudip Ram over allegations that he locked the main gate of Entally Police Station while protesting on the night of Independence Day. The party issued a show-cause notice to him on Friday, asking him to explain within seven days why he took such action.

Sudip Ram will remain suspended until further directions from the party's top leadership. The action was taken by the BJP's disciplinary committee on the direction of West Bengal BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya.

The incident reportedly took place amid a long-standing dispute between two factions of the BJP in the Entally Assembly constituency. One faction is considered close to Priyanka Tibrewal, while the other is associated with brothers Dilip Ram and Sudip Ram.

According to sources, the Dilip-Sudip faction had been preparing to organise Durga Puja in Ward No. 54 of Padmapukur and had already performed the traditional Khuti Puja. The Priyanka Tibrewal faction allegedly opposed the move. However, leaders from the Priyanka camp claimed that the dispute over the puja was actually between local residents and the Dilip-Sudip faction.

The disagreement reportedly escalated during an Independence Day programme organised by the Dilip-Sudip faction. It has been alleged that several people entered the programme, created a disturbance and assaulted some individuals.

Following the incident, members of the allegedly affected group reportedly surrounded Entally Police Station in protest. During the protest, the main gate of the police station was allegedly locked.

Senior police officers reached the police station late at night and intervened to bring the situation under control.

However, the Dilip-Sudip faction has denied that any of its members locked the police station gate. They claimed that police personnel themselves had locked the gate. According to police sources, an FIR has nevertheless been registered against Dilip Ram and Sudip Ram in connection with the incident.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey