Video of TMC councillor's street brawl with another woman goes viral, she blames ‘reckless driving'

Indian Express

a day ago

After a video of a street brawl involving two women, one being a TMC councillor, went viral, Panihati municipal authorities in North 24 Parganas said the incident would be investigated, and appropriate action would be taken.
Local TMC councillor Srabanti Roy, however, said she would not file a police complaint against the other woman, citing her young age, and added that the brawl happened after the young woman's Scooty hit her bike.
In the viral video, the councillor is seen slapping a young woman, who retaliates by grabbing Roy's hair and hitting her. As passersby watch, the two women fight, oblivious to attempts by locals to intervene. The two women were eventually stopped from fighting by traffic police.
The incident reportedly took place on Monday near Panihati Mahotsavtala Ghat. Roy is councillor of Ward No. 26 in Panihati municipality.
Roy on Wednesday told mediapersons that the confrontation began when the young woman's Scooty allegedly hit her bike. Roy claimed that she dismounted to protest and warn the young woman about 'reckless driving'. 'I consider it my duty as a public representative to warn her. But the young woman responded with abuse and took my bike keys. As I protested, I was attacked,' Roy said.
'A section of the media is making a big deal out of my slapping the young woman. But in the video, you can clearly see her actions,' she said.
Roy said she was not keen to file a police complaint against the woman, as 'she is young, and I don't want any repercussions for her.
However, the Opposition BJP used the incident to accuse the TMC of 'goondaism' and claimed that people were 'no more afraid of the ruling party'.
'This is not a mere scuffle between two women. The lady in white salwar kameez is an elected representative. She is the TMC councillor Srabanti Roy. Good to see that people are not bowing down under TMC's fear and rather standing up against this sort of goondaism,' BJP leader Keya Ghosh wrote on X.
Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics.
With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences.
Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More