Bengal Outrage: Locals Demand Cut Money Refunds As TMC Leaders Face Mob Fury Over Extortion

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]TMC panchayat member who promised to return cut money. Miking being done by villagers. Local residents in Cooch Behar who started modern-day public announcements and that too via microphones after a Trinamool Congress panchayat body assured them that cut money, which basically means extorted commission, taken under the Awas Yojana housing scheme would be refunded by the 4th of June. The announcement is being circulated at booth number 173 of um Ghugumari Gram Panchayat under the Cooch Behar South Assembly [music] constituency. Earlier, local residents staged a massive protest at the residence of Jyotsna Barman, who is a local TMC panchayat member at booth number 173 of Ghugumari Gram Panchayat in Cooch Behar 1 block. The protesters alleged that [music] TMC leaders, including the panchayat member, had extorted huge sums of money ranging to the tune of 5,000 to anywhere [music] between 25,000 rupees from the housing scheme beneficiaries. They claimed that they were threatened that the next installment of their housing funds could be withheld. If they did not pay out of fear during the TMC regime, the villagers would end up paying that money. However, following the change of guard in the state on the 4th of May with the BJP coming to power, the locals began protesting to demand their money back. Now, according to local sources, the panchayat member eventually assured the villagers that the extorted money would be returned.

[00:01:26]The protesters withdrew their demonstration [music] only after a settlement was reached promising a full refund by the 4th of June. Listen in.

[00:01:34]>> Joi Somosto cut money taka Kumari Gram Panchayat 173 number voter Joi Somosto cut money taka Awas Yojana cut money taka niyechilo sei somosto cut money taka agami 4 tarikh panchayat er bari theke shobol ke niye jabar jonno onurodh kora hochche.

[00:01:58]Kumari Gram >> Taking this to my colleague Tapas Sen Gupta joining us live on the broadcast.

[00:02:25]Tapas, this again is an indication of the misuse of power and the wrongdoings by the TMC during their reign and how the locals would be forced to give in because they thought that they would be cornered if they do not. And now that there is a change in regime, people are fighting back for themselves.

[00:02:43]>> Well, yes, absolutely, Swetha. It seems that it has become a regular event here in West Bengal. It's not only in Cooch Behar. We had seen similar pictures [clears throat] coming up from Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Kolkata. Everywhere. It seems that people wanted a point of went out and once they have got this opportunity, they are taking law into their own hand and they're trying to settle things issues by themselves. And this particular incident happened where the Panchayat head promised them after 4th of May that within a month she will be returning entire cut money that she had taken over a period of time from all the persons in that very village. And hence the villagers have given her months time. And now since we are approaching 4th of June, the deadline is 4th of June. So, ahead of that, the villagers are making and and raising consciousness among the other villagers if they had paid any cut money to that very Panchayat Pradhan. In that case, they can go and reach a residence and seek money as it was committed by that Trinamool Congress leader. Now, this has come as a as a as a regular norm during the regime of Trinamool Congress. Be it any district you talk about that have been lot of issues pertaining to syndicate pertaining to cut money. So keeping that in mind the law is also taking its own course the people are going reaching out to police filing complaint and police action are being taken but it seems that in many places people are losing patience and now they have started taking things in their own hand and settle these issues once and for all.

[00:04:17]What we have been given to understand that following this mic the police officials also got alerted a complaint have also been registered but on the other hand the panchayat member have also have committed that she will be paying out the money to all the village to the villagers from whom she had taken the cut money. It remains to be seen how the process goes ahead but as of now legal procedure would be would would would be undertaken by the police administration what we have been given to understand and it's not only in Cooch Behar but in other district also we are seeing similar kind of images being Dubrajpur where Trinamool Congress leader was chased beaten down and he was his entire attire were completely torn apart by the common people irate people rather who had paid cut money to that very person. So these are the pictures that coming up from different districts across West Bengal where people have been silent for last 15 years and now after this regime change people are seeking retribution but law is also acting at the same time the actions are legally are being taken pursued by the state administration but at at certain certain places we are also witnessing that people have losing their patience have tried taking things into their own hand.

[00:05:29]>> Absolutely.

[00:05:31]At the moment Tapas I want to thank you for getting us the latest details and of course keeping a close eye on these sort of incidents that are now emerging from the state of West Bengal. TMC leaders who are facing public outrage in Bengal in Birbhum a TMC leader and local counselor Bhaskar Ruch who was stripped and beaten with slippers by locals over charges of extortion. He allegedly took 30,000 rupees as cut money from people while the TMC was in power. Meanwhile, in Cooch Behar, locals made a public announcement that cut money taken from people under the Awas Yojana housing scheme during Mamata Banerjee's rule would be returned by the 4th of June.

[00:06:06]The announcement was made after an assurance from the local panchayat body.

[00:06:10]Just days ago, Howrah police paraded a TMC Neta naked. The Neta is accused of several crimes. His head and beard were allegedly shaved before he was paraded by the police. Meanwhile, in Malda, a BJP worker and his wife were attacked with sticks and stones leaving them seriously injured. The family's kin claimed that TMC leaders had pressurized them to join the party before the polls.

[00:06:33]They blamed the TMC workers for this attack.

[00:06:37]Taking this back to my colleague Tapas, who continues to stay with us on the broadcast. Tapas, a series of incidents that have been reported. And exactly what you and I were talking, that the locals are now gathering the courage to stand up against the TMC of the years of torture that they have taken on themselves because of how the party misused power and thought that they would never be out. But now, with the change in regime, clearly the locals are finding their own voice and standing up against these goons.

[00:07:10]>> Well, absolutely, Swesha. As I as we were talking, right, that uh it's not about one odd incident. Similar incidents coming up from different districts and all the all the all the incidents have one thing in common, that's Trinamool Congress. The Trinamool Congress leaders, the panchayat members, the party supporters are accused of either misusing government fund or relief material or taking cut money, running syndicates. And then now it seems that people have lost their patience and they are losing it so fast and taking things into own hand to deal with situations like this. The government have appealed time and again not to take a law in their own hand, but we had seen that even when when police is acting in the first place arresting people around, they are the the accused persons are made to parade in in different places across different districts be it Howrah, be it North 24 Parganas, be it other districts as well and trying to send across a message to other people, but what the incident that we have witnessed in Cooch Behar today, it seems it's a very different because people coming out and making and raising consciousness that whatever money that you have paid to any of the Panchayat members, let's go to the Panchayat member and seek that money back. So, it's a very very important to understand that there have been a regime change recently and since under the last government regime for last 15 years, there have been multiple incidents that happened and people were scared to come out and speak. Now, they have got at least an opportunity to vent out their anger and that's what we are witnessing at the moment. That view.

[00:08:42]>> All right, Thomas, many thanks for getting us those details.