West Bengal

The incident took place on Wednesday evening when Mondal visited the TMC office near Suri’s old bus stand for the first time after the election results. He was reportedly there to assess the situation at the local organisation and hold discussions with party workers and leaders. While the meeting was underway, three youths allegedly entered the office carrying sticks and thick tree branches and began vandalising furniture and other items.

According to reports, chairs, tables, glass panels and an air-conditioning unit were damaged during the incident. The glass table positioned in front of Mondal was also smashed. Video footage reported by several news organisations showed the youths confronting Mondal and allegedly grabbing him by the collar while questioning him over his political record in Birbhum. Reports also said that he was threatened and asked not to return to the area.

Mondal himself was not reported to have suffered any major physical injury, although reports said he sustained a minor injury to his face when broken glass from the table reached him. He was later escorted from Suri towards Bolpur after seeking police protection.

Police detained the three youths soon after the incident. The youths reportedly claimed that they were not associated with any political organisation and described their actions as an expression of anger over what they alleged was years of political oppression in the district. However, police were examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and the identities and motives of those involved.

The youths were later released after no written complaint was filed by Mondal or his party over the incident, according to reports citing police sources.

The episode prompted a sharp political response from Dilip Ghosh. Referring to the changing political circumstances surrounding Mondal, Ghosh said that politics can see people rise to positions of power and later fall from them. He argued that power should be used responsibly and alleged that there had been misuse of power during the TMC's tenure. He added that people who suffer would eventually express their anger.

Ghosh also said that physical violence cannot be treated as a legitimate form of revenge. At the same time, commenting on the Suri incident, he suggested that the anger of people sometimes comes out in such a manner. His remarks were reported as a political reaction to the incident rather than as an endorsement of violence.

Ghosh further recalled his own experience of political activity in Birbhum, claiming that he had been unable to hold public meetings in the district for years because police permissions were not granted. He alleged that on one occasion when permission was mistakenly given, water was pumped into the meeting ground at another location. He said that political circumstances had now changed but added that people would not forget their previous experiences overnight.

The Suri incident has also drawn attention because of Mondal’s changing political position. Once regarded as a powerful organisational figure of the TMC in Birbhum, Mondal is now associated with the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee after breaking away from the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

The incident has therefore become another flashpoint in Birbhum’s changing political landscape. While the three youths’ exact political affiliations and motives remain a matter for investigation, the confrontation at the party office has generated considerable political debate, with different sides offering sharply contrasting interpretations of what happened.