Kolkata, February 8 An elderly man died in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal after allegedly being assaulted by a TMC councillor while protesting illegal construction, his family alleged in a police complaint on Sunday.
Rabindra Nath Bhattacharya, a councillor from ward number 23 of the North Barrackpore Municipality, was arrested after police interrogation following the registration of a case of unnatural death.
Eighty-year-old Tulsi Adhikari, the deceased, was protesting the illegal construction in front of his house, which had been ongoing for days. On Saturday, Bhattacharya arrived at the scene, and a heated argument ensued with Adhikari, according to the family's police complaint.
According to the police complaint, as the situation escalated, Bhattacharya allegedly assaulted Adhikari and his son, Hemanta.
Bhattacharya repeatedly punched, slapped, and kicked the elderly man, after which he collapsed, according to the family's account.
Tulsi Adhikari was taken to Jagadish Chandra Bose Hospital in Barrackpore Cantonment, where doctors pronounced him dead, the family claimed.
Before his arrest, the TMC leader denied the allegations, calling them "baseless and politically motivated".
"I did not assault anyone. I am being defamed for political reasons. Any death is unfortunate, but I did not hit him. Rather, they attacked me. The son of the deceased grabbed my neck and pushed me. The CCTV footage will confirm this," he claimed.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
Locals staged a demonstration, demanding strong and deterrent punishment for Bhattacharya.
Former Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh had previously stated that the accused was involved in illegal construction activities in the area.
TMC MP Partha Bhowmik said the party condemned the councillor's actions and "supports any action that the administration will take against him for this crime".
"The party will have no association with such individuals," he added.