Elderly Trinamul Congress activist killed after loud music protest at a picnic on August 15 night

 Gobinda Mondal was attacked with sharp weapons, iron rods, and bamboo poles by about 20 youths at his home

Gobinda Mondal's daughter-in-law Nabanita breaks down at their home on Thursday: Picture by Pashupati Das

Subhasish Chaudhuri, TT, Calcutta, 18.08.23 : An elderly Trinamul Congress activist, who had allegedly been beaten up by a group of Independence Day revellers for protesting against playing loud music at a picnic on August 15 night, succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital on Thursday morning.

Gobinda Mondal, 68, a resident of Bhaduria village of Kaijuri gram panchayat at Swarupnagar in North 24-Parganas, was attacked with sharp weapons, iron rods, and bamboo poles by about 20 youths at his home on Tuesday night.

Before Gobinda was assaulted, his son Samiran, 39, was beaten up for protesting against the revellers’ late-night party. Samiran’s wife Nabanita also suffered injuries when she tried to resist the attack on her husband and father-in-law.

The trio was rushed to Sanrapul Rural Hospital but Gobinda, who suffered fatal head injuries caused by sharp weapons, was transferred to a Calcutta hospital, where he died on Thursday morning. Samiran was, however, released after he was given 18 stitches in his head.

Family members have accused a combined force of Opposition party activists, who managed to form the gram panchayat board, of murdering the elderly farmer as he had refused to join them to mobilise people against the ruling party.

Police have started a murder case on the basis of a complaint lodged at the Swarupnagar police station by Samiran. Till Thursday afternoon, the police have arrested three youths out of the 10 persons named in the FIR, which include some relatives of the victim’s family.

The arrested trio — Arjun Mondal, Sankar Mondal, and Sujit Mondal — were produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Basirhat. They have been sent to 10 days of police custody.

Superintendent of police Joby Thomas K. told The Telegraph: “The elderly victim had an altercation with the accused persons that led to the attack. We have begun a probe and are examining if there was any other motive or enmity behind the murder.”

Local sources said a sudden change in the area’s political scene led to the attack on the elderly Trinamul supporter. CPM, BJP, and a section of the disgruntled Trinamul activists, who fought as Independent candidates, fought against the ruling party in the area in the recent rural polls.

Trinamul got a majority winning 10 out of 15 seats, while the BJP and CPM bagged two seats each. An Independent candidate also won from the area. However, Trinamul failed to form the board as three winning candidates of the ruling party joined the Opposition ranks and helped them form the board.

Trinamul’s nominee for the pradhan lost to the Opposition candidate by one vote.

Local sources said, barely a day after the formation of the board, some Opposition activists asked Gobinda and his son to join them. But, the father–son duo refused to oblige and this had angered them.

Trouble began on August 15 evening, when the supporter of the newly formed panchayat board organised a picnic to celebrate Independence Day and began playing music at high volume.

Nabanita said: “They invited my husband to join the picnic. But he refused to join. My father-in-law then asked them to lower the volume of the microphones, but they refused to listen. This led to an altercation when they abused us and left.”

“Barely an hour later, an armed gang arrived at our home, broke open our grill gate, and barged inside. First they attacked my husband and a little later when my father-in-law arrived home they began beating him up mercilessly,” Nabanita added.

Samiran said: “It appeared that our refusal to mobilize people against Trinamul made them furious.

“Earlier during the election campaign they also asked me and my father to join them. Since then they were trying to find a scope to punish us and my father’s protest helped them to satisfy their grudge”

Habibur Islam Gazi, working president of Trinamul’s Kaijuri area committee, said: “BJP, CPM, and some supporters of Independent candidates conspired in the attack. The elderly man was our longtime activist, who was highly respected and influential in the area.”

Although family members of Gobinda accused members of Opposition parties of the attack and the murder, leaders of the CPM and the BJP refused to comment.