Kolkata: A lawyer from east Kolkata was allegedly assaulted in Tangra early Tuesday after he refused to pay Rs 10,000 as a Durga Puja subscription. The lawyer alleged that a group of five to six men accosted him and demanded that he pay the same amount as a Kali Puja subscription, which he again refused.
In his written complaint to Tangra police, the lawyer said the incident took place around 1am while he was on his regular night walk near Mandirbari on Pataldanga Road. Officers from Pragati Maidan police station said preliminary inquiries suggested that an old local dispute between the parties might have led to the incident. He alleged that the men stopped him, abused him, pushed him and kicked him over his refusal to pay the subscription. The lawyer’s family alleged that the attackers were linked to a North Tangra Durga Puja committee and were close to the BJP . Local BJP leaders denied any connection with the incident, saying it was not political. Mousumi Roy, an organiser of the puja committee named in the allegations, also denied the charges, claiming the complaint was false and intended to defame the organisers. Tangra police have registered a case based on the lawyer’s complaint.