TMC suspends Uttam Sardar for 6 years

Kolkata: Uttam Sardar, a member of Zilla Parishad and a zonal president of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Sandeshkhali, has been suspended by the party for 6 years following the instruction of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Sardar, a close associate of controversial TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh has been accused of unleashing terror in the region.

It was the first incident of suspension after the Sandeshkhali incident. Both Sardar and Shahjahan are currently absconding. Sardar was beaten up by the local people recently and he was later rescued by the police and admitted to a local hospital. He has been absconding since then. Shahjahan has been absconding since the attack happened on officers of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Sandeshkhali during a raid at the house of Shahjahan in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam in the state.

TMC leader Partha Bhowmick from the Red Road sit-in demonstration on Saturday said that Sardar has been suspended from the party for 6 years. The decision was taken following the instruction of Banerjee. Regarding Sardar, Bhowmick said: “We have taken this decision to suspend him based on the party reports.” No step has been taken against Shahjahan. When asked about Shahjahan, Bhowmick said: “Nobody has spoken against Shahjahan and hence why will we discuss against him.” When asked about Trinamool Congress’s weak organisational hold in Sandeshkhali, Bhowmick said: “Yes, we lost there. Even during the CPI(M) rule, there were places like Chowringhee where the Left could not win. We may lose in some pockets. This is an example of democracy.”