Ration dealers face the fire

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Nov 2: Hundreds of women belonging to backward classes gheraoed the Gazole block development office today in order to protest against the police atrocities at their village ~ Godang, in Gazole last night. The Malda BJP called a 12 hours Gazole bandh tomorrow in protest against the police atrocities at Godang village under Raniganj gram panchayat. Women backed by the BJP and the CPI~ML liberation leaders today staged agitation programme and alleged that police raided their houses and beat them up severely on charges of lobbying against the corrupted ration dealers. The CPI~ML Liberation extended its support to the movement and independently called a 12 hours bandh in Gazole tomorrow. The local SUCI leaders also extended their support to the movement against the allegedly corrupted ration dealers. It may be noted that hundreds of villagers yesterday attacked the house of a ration dealer, Mr. Rabindranath Singh in protest against his allegedly corrupt practices. The police had to open two round of fire in the air to control the situation. The district BJP leaders today submitted a deputation to the district controller of food and supplies on this issue and lodged another complaint against a dealer Mr. Purna Chandra Sarkar, a CPIM leader. The Malda S P Mr. D K Mondal said: “The allegation against police is baseless. But it is true that police had to lathi-charge when hundreds of villagers attacked police with bows and arrows”. The Gazole block development officer in charge, Mr. Sebananda Panda and district food officials yesterday held a meeting with the angry villagers and noted down their complaints against the dealer Mr. Rabindranath Singh, a CPIM worker. “It was revealed from the villagers' statement that Mr. Singh and his staffs were involved in corruption and demanded money (Rs 500 to Rs 1600) for issuing new ration cards. The villagers alleged that the dealers did not supply due food grains to them”, Mr. Sebananda Panda said Speaking to The Statesman he said: “I suggested sub divisional controller of food and supplies that the dealer should be suspended immediately, and to conduct an inquiry based on the complaints of the villagers”. Today hundreds of villagers staged agitation and attacked another M R dealer at Kadamtoli village in Ratua. Villagers backed by the CPIM here demanded compensation from the dealer Abdul Kuddus, who was very close to the Congress, official sources said. The food and supplies departmental officials are facing big trouble to tackle the situation in Ratua and Habibpur police station areas where many dealers are refusing to open their shops fearing the recent public outrage. Malda S P said police officials and block development officers today visited the vulnerable areas (three places) in Ratua and another spot in Habibpur to sort out the problems where villagers were campaigning against the dealers and demanded due compensation.