Chopra Tea Garden clash: Four people arrested

Raiganj: Police have arrested four persons in connection with Chopra Tea Garden clash in North Dinajpur district. It was reported that 20 tea garden workers were injured when a gang of miscreants raided the tea garden at Nichakhali in Chopra and started firing with shot guns and pelted stones on them on Saturday.

Two of them reportedly were injured with shotgun pellets. They are undergoing treatment in Islampur Sub-Divisional Hospital. According to locals, a tea garden owned by a private company which has around 24 acres of land, has remained abandoned for more than a year. In absence of the management, the local workers have been earning their livelihood from there. On Saturday morning, a group of miscreants armed with shotguns and lethal weapons entered the garden and started plucking leaves.

When local workers tried to intercept, they fired shotguns and pelted stones on them. TwentyAs many as 20 were injured in this attack. After being informed, cops from Chopra Police Station reached the spot. In the meantime, the miscreants fled. Hamidul Islam, a local tea garden worker who was injured in the clash, said: “The private company closed down this garden more than a year ago. Since then we, the local workers, are sustaining our families by plucking tea leaves from the garden. A group of land grabbers are trying to capture this garden. We had informed Hamidul Rahaman MLA Chopra regarding this. On Saturday morning the miscreants carried out a pre planned attack on us.”

Faizul Hoque , Sahakari Sabhapati of Chopra Panchayat Samity, said: “We urged the police officials to take stern action against the miscreants.”

Jobby Thomas, Superintendent of Police of Islampur Police District, said: “Four persons have been arrested so far in connection with the clash in Chopra tea garden. Two specific cases have been started against them. An investigation is going on.”