West Medinipur, 08 January (H.S.): Kharagpur, January 7: A 54-year-old woman's death the day after a police operation in Kharagpur, West Bengal, sparked widespread tension in the area. The deceased woman's family and local residents alleged that she died as a result of police brutality. In protest against the incident, people took to the streets in Kharagpur on Thursday morning, blocking roads.

The deceased woman has been identified as Ragini Tandi (54). Allegedly, she was seriously injured in a lathi charge during the police operation on Wednesday night, after which her condition deteriorated, leading to her death the following day. The incident has fueled outrage throughout the area.

According to local sources, on Wednesday night, alleged illegal construction work was underway on the roof of an under-construction house belonging to a man named Rajesh Rana in the Odia Basti of Chhoto Tangra area under Kharagpur Town police station. Upon receiving information, police from the Hijli outpost reached the scene, where a heated argument ensued between the police, the homeowner, and local residents. The police were forced to retreat as the situation escalated.

Later, around 10 pm, a large police force, led by Kharagpur SDPO Dheeraj Thakur, arrived in the area and stopped the roof construction work. Local residents alleged that the police then launched a lathi charge throughout the settlement, injuring several people. Allegedly that the police detained several people. During this operation, Ragini Tandi's condition worsened, and she later died.

As news of the woman's death spread, violent protests erupted in the area on Thursday morning. Local residents burned tires and blocked the road near Kharagpur Sub-Divisional Hospital, completely disrupting traffic on the Kharagpur-Keshiary state highway.

Several leaders, including Kharagpur Chairperson Kalyani Ghosh, former Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Medinipur-Kharagpur Development Authority Pradip Sarkar, Ravishankar Pandey, and Trinamool Congress leader Debashish Chowdhury, arrived at the scene. He appealed to the protesters to remove the blockade through dialogue.

However, the angry crowd clearly stated that they would not leave the road until strict action was taken against the guilty police officers. A tense situation prevails in the area following the incident, and the police are investigating the matter.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey