CPI(M) leaders have strongly condemned the BJP’s takeover of the party’s long-standing office at Baribhasha in the Dabgram-II Panchayat area. Addressing a press conference at Anil Biswas Bhavan on Thursday afternoon, leaders from the CPI(M) Darjeeling District Committee alleged that such acts of occupation and the prevailing culture of intimidation are taking place under the leadership of Shikha Chatterjee, the MLA of Dabgram-Phulbari.Moreover, although an FIR was lodged at the NJP police station regarding the entire incident of the party office takeover, the acknowledgment copy of the FIR has not yet been provided. The Inspector-in-Charge (IC) of the NJP police station is repeatedly summoning and harassing the leaders. Through a press conference, they drew the attention of the BJP’s top leadership and demanded the immediate recovery of the CPI(M) party office.
Saman Pathak, the Darjeeling District Secretary of the CPI(M), said, “Three days ago, after holding a programme commemorating Syama Prasad Mukherjee, the BJP took over the CPI(M)’s party office in the Baribhasha area. The new BJP government, which has been in power for two months, is bringing back the 15 years of Trinamool Congress misrule through the back door. The current state government is functioning just like the previous Trinamool-led administration; only the flags have changed.”During the previous government’s tenure, the law-and-order situation across the state deteriorated, while extortion, a ‘culture of intimidation,’ and corruption became institutionalized. Even now, under the BJP government, nothing has changed; in fact, the culture of intimidation is on the rise—something that is completely incompatible with the state’s culture.
It is worth noting that within just two months, the new government’s oppressive nature has been exposed through various incidents—such as the eviction of hawkers, the reign of the bulldozer, the rape and murder of a minor girl, and the attack on Minakshi Mukherjee. Following the announcement of the Assembly election results, attempts were made to seize CPI(M) offices in the NJP, Dabgram, and Phulbari areas by hoisting BJP flags; however, these attempts were thwarted by the resistance of the local people.Incidents of party office seizures, harassment, and a culture of intimidation are particularly prevalent in the Dabgram-NJP area. Saman Pathak has stated that unless prompt action is taken regarding this matter, the party offices will be reclaimed through a united effort involving the local residents.
At whose behest was the CPI(M) party office in the Dabgram-Fulbari area seized? Raising this question, party leader Dilip Singh stated, “Under the leadership of the Dabgram-Fulbari MLA from the new BJP government, the politics of encroachment has returned to the area. Although it was a CPI(M) office, it primarily facilitated the activities of the UCRC and various mass organizations, serving the interests of the poor. During the Trinamool regime, the police acted as partisan lackeys; even after the change of government, the role of the police remains utterly reprehensible.”For the past three or four days, the IC of the NJP police station has been giving the runaround to the leaders regarding the delivery of the FIR’s receipt copy.
The leadership issued a warning stating that if the administration fails to take immediate action to clear the occupied CPI(M) office, they will resort to legal recourse. Simultaneously, the attention of the Commissioner and the Chief Minister will be drawn to the matter. Unless the CPI(M) office is reclaimed and handed back to the general public, the party office will be liberated from occupation through various forms of agitation, including sit-ins and protest marches.
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