Cong MPs in Malda shrine pillage row

Subhro Maitra TNN
Malda: A dispute over a religious property took an ugly turn in Malda on Saturday with VVIPs of the district, including Congress MPs Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury and Mousam Noor, drawn into the fracas. The venue was Pirana Pir — a religious shrine under Englishbazar. The two MPs were present on the spot while their associates were allegedly pillaging the donation boxes. Sabiul Khan, one of the caretakers of the shrine, lodged a police complaint. Police have initiated a case of snatching. Trouble broke out at 11 am when the devotees had assembled for the morning prayers. “Suddenly, a group of people rushed into the shrine and snatched the 11 donation boxes. They assaulted us when we tried to stop them,” said Khan. He feared that the toughs had tacit support of the district Congress leaders. The shrine originally belonged to Meherunnesa, the mother-in-law of late MLA and Congress leader Rubi Noor. Soon after Rubi Noor’s death, her daughter Mousam claimed her right on the property. But her sister-in-law Sahnaj Qadri opposed it. The dispute reached such a point that the MP approached the police to establish her claim. The police did not get into the legal wrangle. Instead, policemen were posted at the shrine. Though Mousam denied a hand in the fracas, Qadri put the blame squarely on her. SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay said: “We have received a snatching complaint and are looking into it.”