A Trinamool Congress councillor was arrested on Sunday, February 8, 2026, for the alleged deadly assault of an 81-year-old man over illegal construction in Barrackpore. Rabindranath Bhattacharya, councillor of Ward 23 in Barrackpore municipality, North 24 Parganas, was produced at the Barrackpore court on Monday. The victim, Tulshi Adhikari, and his family had complained about an illegal construction near their home. According to police, when the family complained and took the matter to the municipality, no action was taken. On Sunday morning, Adhikari’s son was allegedly attacked by Bhattacharya. When the elderly man tried to intervene, he was also assaulted and later died. Deputy Commissioner of Police Indra Badan Jha confirmed that the victim’s family filed a formal complaint and police are investigating using eyewitness reports and CCTV footage. Bhattacharya denied the charges, saying, "This is all a lie. I do not know who made the complaints. Tulshi Adhikari’s son assaulted me. I have heard he was sick and that he was taken to the hospital." Following the arrest, the Trinamool Congress suspended Bhattacharya from the party for six years. TMC MP Partha Bhowmick said, "The party has already suspended him. No other party takes such action. We have taken action from our side, now the rest will be taken care of by the police." Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader, Arjun Singh, led protests against the accused. Protesters clashed with local police and blocked roads, demanding capital punishment. BJP’s West Bengal official page stated, "Beating an 81-year-old to death over an illegal construction? Under Home Minister @MamataOfficial, law and order has become a cruel joke in West Bengal."