NEW DELHI: A woman has attempted suicide in theEastern Indian State of West Bengal, allegedly after she was violated and herfamily assaulted for her refusing to join the ruling political party theTrinamool Congress in the state. The incident comes close on the heels of a case in the same state, in which a professor was arrested for drawing a caricature of party Supremo Mamta Banerjee and other party leaders. Police have confirmed that they have received a complaint in this connection. “We have received a complaint by Toton Das, who has alleged that his mother was molested by a group of people who also assaulted his other family members for refusal to join the Trinamool Congress. The woman later attempted suicide by consuming poison,” police officials said. What's worse, the complainants have alleged that the police developed cold feet in investigating the case, which they believe is due to political influence. “It has been more than 24 hours since I made the complaint but there has been no action. Those who assaulted my family are roaming freely while my father had to flee the village,” said Das. It is believed that trouble first began when Trinamool Congress party organizers arrived at Das' village and asked her to attend a meeting of the party. When she refused they assaulted Das' mother, ripped off her clothes and assaulted his family members. The Das family supports the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which is opposed to the Trinamool Congress. With two back to back cases of crimes against those who speak out against the ruling party it is feared, by the state's intellectuals and intelligentsia that the state of West Bengal is, little-by-little descending into political intolerance, something the communists who ruled earlier were known for.
