India
Police Arrest Two Suspected BJP Workers After Pregnant Woman Suffers Assault in West Bengal
Police in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district said that an eight‑month‑pregnant woman, Priya Pal, delivered a stillborn baby after she was allegedly beaten by suspected BJP workers during an attack on her husband. The incident took place in Kuchni village, under Dinhata‑II block, on Wednesday night. Pal reportedly tried to intervene when a group of men assaulted her husband, Debajit Barman, a private tutor and supporter of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), as he was returning home. Barman and Pal were admitted to Dinhata Sub‑divisional Hospital, where Pal gave birth to a stillborn boy on Friday. Barman said the attack was linked to his sister‑in‑law, Ranu Barman, a former TMC panchayat member, and that it was connected to her association with the TMC. He filed a police complaint naming ten people; two accused, Chandan Barman and Manoranjan Barman, have been arrested. Police are still searching for the remaining accused. BJP leaders denied that the arrested men were party workers and said the incident stemmed from a different dispute. Dinhata BJP MLA Ajay Ray condemned the incident, visited the family, and said that the remaining accused would not be spared. He also noted that the chief minister has a zero‑tolerance stance on crimes against women and that attacks on opponents in Dinhata were common in the past but no longer occur. (With agency inputs)
Frequently asked questions
Who were the suspects arrested by police?
Chandan Barman and Manoranjan Barman.
What happened to the pregnant woman during the assault?
She was beaten and later delivered a stillborn baby.
Where did the incident take place?
Kuchni village, Dinhata‑II block, Cooch Behar district, West Bengal.