Police Launch Search for Local TMC Leader Accused of Beating 11-Year-Old Over Minor Accident in West Bengal's Joynagar

A local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, Tapan Haldar, has been accused of assaulting an 11-year-old boy in Joynagar, South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The matter came to light after video footage of the incident began circulating online, prompting a police investigation.

The incident reportedly began when the boy accidentally ran into Haldar while playing near the road. According to local accounts and footage, Haldar dragged the child, stripped him, tied his legs with a rope, and beat him while hanging him upside down from a mango tree. Instead of stopping the assault, several onlookers recorded the scene on their mobile phones.

Explaining the brutal attack, the boy said, "He dragged me from the road and beat me while I was hanging from the tree," the child said, adding that Haldar punched him in the stomach and threatened to attack him with a machete if he told his family. Out of fear, the boy had kept quiet about the abuse.

The child's father has since lodged a formal complaint at the local police station. He confirmed Haldar's political affiliation and alleged that the family has faced pressure to drop the case. "He beats my son and threatens him. We went to the police, but now we are getting threats to withdraw the complaint. We just want him punished," the father said.

Joynagar police are currently investigating the case under child protection and criminal intimidation laws. Authorities are looking for Haldar, who faces charges related to assault and threatening a minor, while local police presence has been maintained to keep the peace.

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