Puja collection: Teacher’s house attacked by local goons

A teacher’s house was attacked by motorbike borne miscreants after he refused to pay Rs 5,000 as Kali Puja subscription. This incident in Balurghat is a stark reminder of the atrocities of local puja organisers during the collection of Kali Puja subscription on Sunday.

It should be recalled that Tumpa Saha -- a school teacher’s house was also attacked in the same fashion at Alipurduar’s Babupara. Some miscreants had hurled stones at her house’s windowpane leaving her family scarred.

Sakin Sarkar, an English teacher of Balurghat Lalit Mohan Adarsha Vidyalaya lodged a complaint with the Balurghat police that some unknown people, who he believes are members of a local club who organises Kali Puja, hurled stones and brickbats at his residence’s windowpane. They even smashed his car’s windshield. Those miscreants were shouting slangs as the teacher called up his neighbours. But they decamped before the neighbours reached Sarkar’s house.

Police, however, took prompt action and detained two members of the local club, but learnt they were not involved in Sunday’s attack. But they gave enough information about the offenders which would help the police nab them.

Five years back, when Sarkar built his house in the area he made enemies with the club members. The ground was also same – Kali Puja subscription. Sarkar had refused to pay hefty amount earlier too. 

“This year, they had demanded Rs 5,000 from me. I asked them to take Rs 500,” Sarkar reportedly said to police.

It may be also recalled that a President University professor was heckled in similar way a few years back. The incident took a serious turn when the professor was returning home in a rickshaw at 9.30 am. He told the police that while he was passing the club, some youth started abusing him. 

Later, they stopped him, forced him off the rickshaw and assaulted him. The professor who had shifted to his new rented home at Bidhanpalli’s Ibrahimpur Road barely a week back—didn’t lodge a complaint immediately.

Meanwhile, Tumpa Saha, the teacher, whose house was attacked, said, the offenders decamped from the spot after police and reporters had come to her place to know about the incident.