'Assault' by former TMC leader sparks row in Bengal's Purba Bardhaman

    Purba Bardhaman (WB), Jul 29 (PTI) Amid a series of public floggings across the state, police arrested former TMC leader Gopal Tiwari from West Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district on charges of assaulting a woman.
    A purported video, which went viral, allegedly showed Tiwari slapping a woman and then engaging in a scuffle with others.
    However, PTI couldn't independently verify the video's authenticity.
    Tiwari, the former general secretary of TMC's Kalna town in the district, was arrested on Saturday night and released on bail on Sunday.
    While the complainant claimed Tiwari is still a local TMC leader, the party asserted he no longer holds any affiliation with them. The incident reportedly stemmed from a land dispute, during which Tiwari and his associates allegedly assaulted her mother-in-law.
    "He repeatedly slapped me and kept thrashing me. The dispute started after a brick wall was built on the land next to my home," she said.
    Tiwari countered that he legally purchased the land and erected a boundary wall, accusing the complainant's family of damaging it. He claimed that upon visiting their residence to address the matter, he was assaulted.
    Tiwari said, "When I went to their house, I was beaten up."
    District TMC leader and MLA Rabindranath Chatterjee denied the party's association with Tiwari, stating, "He is no longer associated with the party. If someone has committed any crime, police must take action and the law must take its own course."
    Senior BJP leader and MP Samik Bhattacharya criticised the TMC, accusing the state's ruling party of patronising goons for their own political benefits.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)