GCPA groups' power show- celebrate 507th birth anniversary of Chila Roy, a member of the Cooch Behar royal family

TT, Cooch Behar, Feb. 9: Two lobbies of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples' Association are gearing up to celebrate the 507th birth anniversary of Chila Roy, a member of the Cooch Behar royal family, at two different locations tomorrow.

The groups are headed by Banshibadan Burman and Ananta Maharaj.

"Banshibadan and Ananta Maharaj are inclined to different parties. While Banshibadan had said ahead of the Assembly polls last year that he supported Trinamul, the other was found seated at the public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Dooars. Both the sides are preparing themselves to show their strength tomorrow," a political observer said.

The Cooch Behar district administration had denied permission to Ananta Maharaj to hold the programme at Barogila village on the outskirts of Cooch Behar town.

However, Calcutta High Court today allowed him to organise the programme at the same venue with some conditions. The GCPA would have to deposit Rs 5 lakh to the subdivisional officer, Cooch Behar (Sadar), by tomorrow morning and allow 30,000 visitors to enter the fair ground by showing their invitation cards to police at the gates.

"The government will incur the expending for security reasons from the deposited money and rest of the amount, if any, would have to be returned to the organiser of the fair," the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nishta Mhatre and Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty said.