Four Cops Injured In Mob Attack After TMC Activist's Arrest In Bengal's Sandeshkhali; Eight Held
Musa Mollah flouted a court injunction to build boundary walls around a disputed land he accused of grabbing. BJP slams TMC over law and order.
Published : January 3, 2026 at 4:47 PM IST
Sandeshkhali: Four police personnel were injured in a mob attack following the arrest of a Trinamool Congress activist in the Sandeshkhali area of West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, an officer said on Saturday.
A large team from Rajbari outpost under Nazat police station went to Boyermari village under Sandeshkhali block on Friday night to arrest TMC activist Musa Mollah, when it came under an attack by a group of villagers who also damaged their vehicle, the officer added. Four injured policemen, including an officer, were taken to a local hospital, which discharged them after treatment.
A section of villagers started hurling stones at the police vehicle when the team picked up Molla from his house and took him inside it. Mollah, arrested on the charge of forcibly taking away lands in the area for pisciculture, was taken to the police station after reinforcements reached the village and chased away the mob, the officer said. Apart from Molla, eight people, including the gram panchayat pradhan, have been detained for inciting the mob.
Police said Mollah was accused of illegally occupying land, following a land dispute with another person for some time. The matter had reached the and even the Basirhat sub-divisional court, which put an injunction on the land. However, Mollah was allegedly not complying with the court's order, and a notice was issued by the police to Mollah, asking him to report to the local Rajbari police outpost for defying the court's directive. Despite that, he started constructing a wall on the land illegally. Learning about this, the police team went to arrest him.
A senior official of the Basirhat district police said, "Musa Molla was not complying with the court's order. Therefore, he was sent a notice asking him to appear at the police station. However, he did not respond to the summons. Subsequently, a police team reached Hulopara to arrest him. At that time, Mulla called his associates and launched the attack on the team. Cases have been registered against the nine individuals under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for obstructing police work, assault and vandalism. They were produced before the Basirhat sub-divisional court on Saturday, seeking custody for interrogation to find out if anyone else was involved in the attack."
The BJP has seized the opportunity of slamming the ruling party, as Mollah is known as a Trinamool worker. Palash Sarkar, president of the BJP's Basirhat organisational district youth wing, said, "Under the Trinamool government, there is no law and order in Bengal. The deterioration of the law has reached such a point that even the police are not spared. Investigate, and you will find that those who carried out the attack are somehow connected to the Trinamool Congress. They know very well that if they wear the ruling party's uniform, the police will not be able to do anything. Because the police, by acting as servants of the Trinamool, have destroyed their position as upholders of the law. That is why such incidents are happening. The Home Minister is responsible for this. Wait two more months, the BJP will establish the rule of law in Bengal after coming to power."
Responding to Sarkar's claim, Trinamool leader Suresh Mandal said, "In rural Bengal, there are always some problems related to land disputes. The trouble that occurred in Nazat over land was brought under control by the police from the Rajbari outpost, who arrived on time. However, attacking the police was not right, as they were just doing their job. We always say that the police administration in this state is very active. In this case, too, the police have played a positive role. We thank the police administration for this."
Notably, on January 5, 2024, an ED team was attacked while trying to raid the residence of local TMC strongman and Zilla Parishad member Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam. Later, Shahjahan was arrested by the CBI and is presently under judicial custody.
BJP leader Sajal Ghosh told a news agency that the attack on state police showed the "desperation and brazenness" of TMC activists under CM Mamata Banerjee's rule. "From the attack on ED officials two years back, to the attack on state police now, the pattern remains the same. Will the state police muster the courage to stand up against the ruling party and take appropriate action?" he asked.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said, "The attack on the police was deplorable, and the party does not support such activities. Whatever action the police take will have our support."
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