The political heat in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district intensified on Friday as angry villagers staged a massive protest outside the residence of a Trinamool Congress panchayat member accused of taking illegal “cut money” from beneficiaries of government housing schemes. At the same time, speculation surrounding the possible arrest of senior TMC leader and former minister Udayan Guha has gained momentum after police began reviving old political violence cases linked to last year’s attack on Suvendu Adhikari’s convoy.
The developments come amid a broader crackdown on pending complaints against ruling party leaders across several districts of Bengal. Political observers say cases that had remained dormant for months are suddenly moving forward following the recent shift in the state’s political atmosphere.
On Friday, police arrested four individuals, including TMC block president Shubhankar Dey, in connection with the alleged attack on BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s convoy at Khagrabari Chowpathi in Cooch Behar on August 5 last year. Adhikari had then accused the attackers of attempting to assassinate him after his convoy was vandalised during the incident.
Former minister Udayan Guha and district TMC president Abhijit Dey Bhowmik, popularly known as “Hippy,” are among the 41 accused named in the case. However, neither leader has been publicly visible for several days, adding to the growing political speculation.
Sources claim that Udayan Guha left the area secretly on the night election results were announced earlier this month and has remained largely out of sight since then. Although reports suggest he was seen attending a party meeting in Kolkata on Friday, questions are now being raised over whether the veteran TMC leader is trying to avoid imminent arrest.
Attempts to contact both Guha and Abhijit Dey Bhowmik for comment reportedly went unanswered. While Guha’s phone continued ringing, Bhowmik’s number remained unreachable.
Meanwhile, public anger against local TMC representatives appears to be spilling onto the streets. In another dramatic development on Friday, hundreds of villagers gathered outside the residence of Panchayat member Mojibur Rahman in the Dhaiyer Hat area under Cooch Behar-I Block, accusing him of collecting hefty sums from beneficiaries under the government housing scheme.
According to the protesters, residents were allegedly forced to pay between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 each in exchange for securing housing benefits. Villagers claimed the accused amassed lakhs of rupees through the practice and used the money to build a lavish residence.
The protest escalated into an all-day sit-in demonstration, with villagers demanding immediate refunds. Family members of the accused reportedly remained trapped inside the house for hours as tensions mounted in the area. Police personnel, along with central forces, were deployed to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.
Local residents alleged that fear and intimidation had stopped people from speaking out earlier. “He took ₹10,000 from some people and ₹20,000 from others after they received government houses. Nobody had the courage to protest because he used to threaten people and create terror in the locality,” alleged villagers Alok Das and Gita Das during the demonstration.
Mojibur Rahman’s father, Chhutu Miya, distanced himself from the controversy, saying he was unaware of his son’s alleged activities. “My son is involved in contract work besides being a panchayat member. I do not know what he has or hasn’t done,” he said.
The twin developments — renewed police action in political violence cases and growing public protests over alleged corruption — have added fresh pressure on the Trinamool Congress leadership in North Bengal.
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