Unrest over control of Matua matriarch's house in West Bengal

According to the TMC, the incident happened on April 7 when Shantanu Thakur along with his supporters allegedly tried by force to take control of the house, where Mamata Bala presently resides.

In a purported video, Shantanu Thakur and his supporters were seen breaking the gates of the house. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Matua-majority Thakurnagar area in West Bengal witnessed dramatic scenes as supporters of BJP MP Shantanu Thakur and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mamata Bala Thakur came face to face over the control of a house where community matriarch Binapani Devi, popularly known as 'Boroma', lived till her death five years back.

According to the TMC, the incident happened on April 7 when Shantanu Thakur along with his supporters allegedly tried by force to take control of the house, where Mamata Bala presently resides.

Mr. Shantanu is the grandson of Binapani Devi, while Mamata Bala Thakur is her daughter-in-law. Thakurnagar is in North 24 Parganas district.

"BJP's hooliganism at its peak. Shocking visuals are coming from Bongaon where BJP candidate & their leader @Shantanu_bjp, along with his goons carrying sharp objects & arms, are planning a violent attack on our Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Thakur's residence," the TMC posted on the X handle along with a video of the incident.

In the purported video, Shantanu and his supporters were seen breaking the gates of the house. PTI, however, did not verify the authenticity of the video.

He told reporters that despite him being one of the legal claimants of the property, "Mamata Bala Thakur has been illegally occupying the entire property and even turning a portion of it into a TMC party office." "I am one of the legal heirs and have full right over half of this property. But Mamata Bala Thakur has taken full control of it illegally," he alleged.

Mamata Bala Thakur dismissed the allegations and lodged a police complaint against the incident. "I have lodged a complaint at Gaighata Police Station as Shantanu Thakur and his associates tried to break in at my residence. They forcibly entered into my residence," she said.

Shantanu had defeated his nearest TMC rival, Mamata Bala Thakur, who is also an influential leader of the Matua community, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls where the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) issues were the main poll planks.