North 24 Parganas district council chairperson Narayan Goswami has written to the Barasat police district superintendent seeking security after an alleged attack and vandalism at his office, along with reported death threats over the past two to three months.
According to a report by Sangbad Pratidin, a group of 20 to 25 people entered Goswami’s office on Monday and allegedly ransacked the room while he was away. Documents kept in a cupboard were reportedly scattered, and office property was damaged. Goswami subsequently wrote to the superintendent seeking an investigation and police protection.
In his letter, Goswami reportedly said that he had also been attacked on October 9. He alleged that six or seven masked individuals threw stones and eggs at his car within the district council office premises. He further claimed that he received a death threat by telephone after Monday’s vandalism. The report said that he had been receiving threatening calls from unidentified persons for around two to three months.
The incident has raised concerns about security inside a public administrative office, where district council employees and visitors conduct government-related work. Goswami said the atmosphere in the office had become fearful after the alleged entry of the group and that employees would not be able to work properly if a safe environment was not maintained.
“Twenty to 25 people entered the office and created a disturbance, creating an atmosphere of fear,” Goswami was quoted as saying. He also said that the damaged property belonged to the district council and was therefore public property, adding that action should be taken if government assets had been damaged. He said anyone with a grievance could have approached him directly rather than damaging the office.
The report also carried an allegation by the BJP that the incident was connected to an internal conflict within the Trinamool Congress. The allegation was not independently established in the supplied report. Goswami is a former Trinamool Congress legislator, and the report referred to claims about his contacts with another Trinamool-linked group. No police response or details of arrests were provided in the report.
The immediate official step disclosed in the report is Goswami’s written request to the Barasat police district superintendent. He has sought both an investigation into the alleged attack and vandalism and security for himself and the district council office.
