Kolkata, Jul 24 (PTI) A turf war between Trinamool Congress leader and Kolkata Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh and suspended party leader Santanu Sen spiralled into street clashes in north Kolkata, forcing police intervention and exposing factional cracks in the ruling TMC ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.
According to sources, multiple rounds of confrontations have broken out since Wednesday morning in the Sinthi area between followers of Ghosh, the legislator from Kashipur-Belgachhia, and Sen, a former Rajya Sabha MP.
The violence escalated throughout the day, culminating in a late-night faceoff outside Sen’s residence that forced the police to step in and disperse the crowd.
Videos of the clashes, widely circulated on social media, show a large group of people, including women, staging a protest in front of Sen’s residence.
Loud slogans can be heard: “Why did you campaign for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls? Santanu Sen, answer us!” Such an alleged anti-party activity continues to dog the suspended leader.
While PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos, their circulation has triggered acute embarrassment for the TMC leadership, which is already grappling with internal dissent in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly elections.
Attempts to contact Atin Ghosh for a comment were unsuccessful.
Sen, when approached by reporters, said, “I will not comment on the incident in the media. I have filed a written complaint with the local administration. I have full faith in the authorities. The CCTV footage will make it clear who came and what happened.
Both factions have reportedly lodged complaints against each other at the Sinthi police station, but no arrests or detentions were confirmed till Thursday afternoon.
Sources on the ground claimed that the trigger for the conflict was an alleged assault on a veteran party worker loyal to Ghosh.
Sen’s wife, Kakoli Sen, who is also a TMC councillor, was reportedly present during the altercation. Sen’s camp, however, alleged that three of their supporters were roughed up by Ghosh’s loyalists.
Tensions escalated further in the evening, with allegations that people were brought in from another ward to stage a hostile demonstration outside the Sen household.
According to Sen’s associates, this was a deliberate attempt to intimidate the family and provoke a public confrontation.
This is not the first time the rival camps have clashed.
However, party insiders say Wednesday’s events far surpassed earlier incidents in scale and political implications.
“The North Kolkata unit is clearly not functioning in a united manner,” a senior TMC leader admitted on condition of anonymity.
“This is why no one has been appointed as district president. Instead, a core committee was formed with senior MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay as its chairman.
The Ghosh-Sen feud has now become a flashpoint for the larger question of factional discipline within the TMC.
Notably, Santanu Sen was suspended from the party last year following a public altercation during the RG Kar hospital controversy.
Despite his suspension, Sen remains a politically active figure in North Kolkata, much to the displeasure of the Ghosh camp.
Ghosh loyalists have accused Sen’s supporters of interfering in ward-level decisions, particularly in Ward number 1, which remains a zone of contention.
With Assembly elections less than a year away, the public fallout between warring factions has become a matter of concern for the party’s top brass. PTI PNT NN
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