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Political tensions in West Bengal reached a prominent peak as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari hosted a high-attendance public hearing at the Salt Lake party office, where more than 100 citizens gathered to voice their pressing grievances. Among the notable attendees was internationally renowned Baul singer and esteemed Padma Shri awardee Purna Das Baul, who arrived accompanied by his son to report a severe case of property encroachment. The legendary folk artist formally petitioned the administration regarding agricultural land located in Ilambazar within the Birbhum district, which has reportedly remained illegally occupied since the initial nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 without any legal recourse or restitution for the rightful owners.

Direct Accusations Against Regional Political Figures

During the proceedings of the public court, the singer’s family brought forward serious allegations against influential regional actors. While Purna Das Baul presented the foundational facts of the prolonged property occupation, his son explicitly named prominent Trinamool Congress figure Anubrata Mandal—locally known as Kesto Mandal—alongside auxiliary associates bearing the surname Sheikh as the primary perpetrators behind the forced land seizure. This public denunciation has sent ripples through local political corridors, drawing intense media scrutiny to historical land disputes in Birbhum and highlighting ongoing contentions regarding the handling of private assets by politically connected individuals during past administrations.

Paralympic Gold Medalist Joins Public Grievances Over SSC Corruption

The Janata Darbar also served as a platform for other prominent victims of systemic administrative failures, most notably Somna Malo, a distinguished resident of the Nadia district who proudly earned a gold medal representing India at the 2002 South Korea Paralympic Games. Malo attended the session carrying his hard-earned athletic accolades to highlight his plight as one of the approximately 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff members who suffered job terminations following the landmark 2006 and 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment corruption rulings. Highlighting the devastating human cost of institutional corruption under previous governance frameworks, Malo articulated how rampant irregularities have plunged thousands of qualified professionals into vocational uncertainty and financial distress.