Kolkata, Sep 9 (PTI) Eminent Baul singer and Padma Shri recipient Purna Das Baul on Wednesday alleged at a public outreach programme of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari that his farmland in Birbhum district had been forcibly occupied by a former TMC strongman and his associates and was yet to be returned.
Baul, accompanied by his son, was among more than 100 people who attended the ‘Janata Darbar’ organised by Adhikari at the BJP office in Salt Lake and submitted grievances seeking redressal.
“Since the day of lockdown in 2020, my farmland at Ilambazar has remained occupied by people who wield considerable influence,” the internationally acclaimed singer said.
“I had never imagined this,” he said, recalling the honours he had received for bringing laurels to the state and the country, including recognition from the previous TMC government.
While Purna Das Baul did not name the person allegedly occupying his land, his son identified him as ‘Kesto Mandal’ and alleged that he was accompanied by ‘Sheikhs’ involved in the land grab.
Asked whether he was referring to Anubrata Mondal, the former Birbhum district president of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and currently associated with the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, the singer’s son replied in the affirmative.
Meanwhile, Nadia resident Somnath Malo, a gold medallist at the 2002 South Korea Paralympics, also attended the programme carrying the medal he had won while representing India.
Malo, a resident of Taherpur, is among the 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff who lost their jobs in the 2016 SSC recruitment case following orders of the Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court that invalidated the recruitment process.
“I was patted by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But due to the corruption in the earlier TMC government’s teaching and non-teaching recruitment, I am staring at an uncertain future and facing starvation. I hope the people’s CM, Suvendu Sir, will do something to end our misery,” he said.
Adhikari was not available for comments till the time of filing the report. PTI SUS MNB
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