Road blockade and political clash trigger tension in North Dinajpur

Raiganj: Tension gripped parts of North Dinajpur district on Friday following a fatal road accident in Karandighi and a separate political clash reported from Raiganj.

Locals blocked the Bengal–Bengal Road at Raghabpur in the Altapur area under Karandighi police station after a biker was killed in a head-on collision with a car early in the morning. The deceased was identified as Md Lalchan (30), a resident of Kamartore in Karandighi. Enraged residents alleged reckless driving and staged a road blockade, disrupting traffic for several hours. When police attempted to clear the blockade, a clash broke out between the agitators and the security personnel. In the ensuing scuffle, a police vehicle was damaged. A large contingent from Karandighi police station rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. A senior police officer said an investigation has been initiated into the accident as well as the violence during the protest.

In a separate incident, tension flared up at Narayanpur in the Bahin Gram Panchayat over the construction of a local road. Shibani Das, a BJP member of the panchayat, and her husband Ripon Das were seriously injured in a clash on Thursday evening and were admitted to Raiganj Government Medical College & Hospital.

The injured BJP leader alleged that miscreants backed by the Trinamool Congress attacked them at their residence. However, Anisur Ali, the Pradhan of Bahin Gram Panchayat and a TMC leader, denied the allegation, stating that the clash erupted following an altercation between BJP leaders and some local residents over the road construction issue and that the party had no role in it.

Uday Nath Ghosh, Inspector-in-Charge of Raiganj police station, confirmed that an investigation has been started on the incident.