Row over mango orchard leads to clash in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, April 1: Residents of Sujapur village in Malda’s Kaliachak police station area confined five policemen in the room of a police camp yesterday following a family clash over the right of a mango orchard. While locals alleged that the police fired at least five rounds at the public, district authorities said that the police fired a single round to disperse the attackers.Nobody was wounded in the police firing. Additional forces had to be sent to the spot of occurrence to rescue the policemen under attack. The Malda SP, Mr DK Mondal, said the miscreants bombed the roof of the kitchen attached to the police camp and locked up five policemen as they entered a room to fetch their rifles to resist the attackers.The police camp had been set up in the house of Mohammad Saidul Alam at Sujapur.The house had been attacked by Alam’s family members over the right of a mango orchard and other property, the police said. The Malda SP said that there was a feud between Md Saidul Alam and neighbour Dost Mohmmad over the controversial property which included a mango orchard. On Friday, Dost Mohammad and his associates allegedly broke down the wall of the orchard. A complaint was lodged with the police and two persons were arrested in connection with the offense. The situation flared up yesterday when Alam and his people were collecting the bricks of the broken wall. The police have raided the village twice since the confinement incident but nobody has been arrested so far.