Goons spell havoc at Malda village

Eight houses torched in gang war

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb 23: A group of attackers ransacked at least 10 houses, beat up family members, molested women and torched more than eight houses including a temple last night at Rajnagar village under Kaliachak police station.

Trouble broke out at around 11:30 pm last night. After setting fire to several houses, the attackers fled the scene. Villagers brought the fire under control at 1:30 am after a fire brigade from Malda town reached Rajnagar. A police team visited the village this morning and began inquiries into the attack.

According to the villagers and police, trouble broke out between two communities belonging to Ghosh and Chnai Mandal due to disagreements between the two in the past. No one has been arrested so far.

“The DSP (D&T) is inquiring into the incident. The police will act according to the complaints,” Malda SP Mr Satyajit Bandyopadhyay told reporters.

According to villagers, tension had been brewing since the day after Saraswati Puja after children from Chnai-Mandal families were prevented from taking part in a sports event. A clash subsequently broke out between the two groups on this issue and one boy belonging to the Ghosh community was seriously injured. The Ghosh community attacked the Mandal community in retaliation and two families were forced to flee the village.

When neighbours attempted to bring the two families back to Rajnagar (under Birnagar II gram panchayat in Kaliachak III block) a group of 12 armed people attacked them at midnight.

Five families' houses were severely damaged by the fire. Satish Mandal, a farmer, lost Rs 45,000 which he was keeping at home to buy crop land. Neighbouring houses belonging to Muslims were also damaged, while a woman, Jyotysana Mandal, was allegedly molested. According to eyewitnesses, pet birds and snakes within the temple burned to death.