Police in West Bengal’s Ashoknagar arrested the president of a local Durga Puja committee after a family alleged that its members demanded ₹50,000 in subscription money and assaulted them when they refused to pay. A court later ordered the accused to 12 days in judicial custody.
The accused, identified as Babli Bhadra, president of the puja committee of Suhrid Sangha, was arrested by Ashoknagar police on Wednesday, four days after the alleged assault. She was produced before a court the same day, where the judge ordered her detention in jail custody.
The complaint was filed by Sarita Chattopadhyay, a resident of the Bijoya Pharmacy area in Ashoknagar. According to the family’s complaint, the demand was made after they constructed a new house. The family alleged that the dispute escalated on Friday when they were threatened and assaulted after failing to pay the demanded amount.
Sarita’s husband, Dipendu Acharya, was allegedly attacked while attempting to record the incident on video. The family also said that their two-year-old child fell during the altercation and had to be taken to hospital. The report did not provide details of the child’s medical condition or identify the other people allegedly involved in the incident.
Sarita lodged a written complaint at Ashoknagar police station on Saturday. Police subsequently arrested Bhadra, while the report said that further complaints related to the collection of subscriptions were also being examined. The report did not state whether any other accused had been arrested or specify the sections of law applied in the case.
The arrest comes amid recurring disputes in West Bengal over money collected for local festivals. Residents are often approached at homes or on roads for contributions, and disagreements over the amount or refusal to pay can lead to confrontation. In this case, the alleged demand was connected to a newly constructed house, making the dispute part of a wider pattern in which residents may face pressure while carrying out ordinary residential activity.
The report also referred to measures announced by Kolkata Police to address complaints of coercive collection, including a telephone helpline at 1800-345-5678 and a WhatsApp number at 9432624365. It did not establish whether those channels cover Ashoknagar or whether the family used either service. The specific response of the Ashoknagar police beyond the arrest was not provided.
The case will now proceed through the judicial process. The immediate recorded next step is the accused’s 12-day period in judicial custody, while the police investigation continues into the alleged assault, the money demand and the involvement of any other persons.
