Calcutta High Court allows CPI-M leader to provide relief to Joynagar victims

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday allowed a CPI-M to visit Daluakhaki village in Joynagar to provide relief materials to the victims, whose houses were set ablaze and ransacked, following the murder of a Trinamool Panchayat leader.

The court directed that political slogans or meetings will not be allowed during the visit. The political party's flag also could not be carried during the visit.

"We were not aiming to raise political slogans and conduct any political programmes in Joynagar. We just wanted to help the victims and offer relief materials to them," the lawyer of CPI-M lawyer Sayan Banerjee said.


Justice Rajsekhar Mantha allowed Banerjee to visit Daluakhaki in Joynagar. The court also directed Banerjee to inform the police about the date and time of his expected visit to the affected village. The police personnel would accompany Banerjee during the visit and provide security, the court observed.

CPI-M Central Committee member and senior leader Sujan Chakraborty was stopped by police and prevented from entering the village. Similar fate was met by Congress and a non-political group also.

Major row broke out after the death of the Trinamool leader as several houses of CPI-M supporters in the adjoining villages were set ablaze and ransacked on Monday, in retaliation of the Trinamool leader’s death, people in the know said. Many CPI-M workers had become homeless following the incident.

The Trinamool Congress leader Saifuddin Laskar was shot dead at Joynagar on Monday morning while he was returning from morning prayers (namaz).

Trinamool state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "It is cheap politics by CPI-M. Who provide relief to the CPi-M party that they are going to Joynagar to provide relief."