In a letter to the minister, Gazi, a resident of Baota village under Bhangar Block, has named painter Suvaprasanna among those who have allegedly erected concrete walls over a canal that served as an important part of the area’s drainage system.

“These people have transformed the land into their own property,” Gazi wrote in the letter.

In response, Mollah said: “Soon after receiving the complaint, I asked the Bhangar BLRO to investigate the matter. Prima facie, the complaint was found to be true. If the detailed inquiry corroborates it, the government will file FIRs against all accused.” 

The complainant has also accused the BLRO concerned and local police of acting in collusion with the violators.

“You personally investigate the matter because local officers will mislead the government,” Gazi wrote to the minister, alleging the local gram panchayat had given the required permission for the concrete wall to be constructed. 

Suvaprasanna, however, maintained there was nothing new about the allegations. Describing the matter as an “old dispute”, the artist blamed the CPM of trying to malign him for “obvious” reasons. 

Trinamool man and Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee said the state government was deliberately trying to malign the artist who has been campaigning hard for a change in the political status quo in the state. “I do not believe that an honest person like Suvaprasanna can grab land. The government is trying to fling dirt on him,” said Chatterjee.