Holi celebrations: 2 injured in clash

Raiganj: A clash erupted between two groups at Debitola, Raiganj, North Dinajpur district, over objections to certain activities during Holi celebrations on Saturday evening, resulting in two youths sustaining serious injuries.

The injured, identified as Amit Mallik and Jaydeb Sutradhar, are currently receiving treatment at Raiganj Medical College & Hospital. The incident has heightened tensions in the locality. According to local sources, a group of youths was celebrating Holi at a timber factory in Debitola. Their festivities allegedly involved loud shouting and the use of offensive language. In response, another group of local youths, led by Amit Mallik, approached them to protest these objectionable activities.

This confrontation escalated into a physical altercation, during which both Mallik and Sutradhar sustained injuries.

Partha Das, a local resident, recounted: “Some individuals in the timber factory were celebrating Holi. Being intoxicated, they were shouting and using objectionable language for a long time. Amit Mallik, along with some youths, visited the place and told them not to disturb the locality. Then they attacked Amit and he received serious injuries.” Conversely, Gopal Saha, the owner of the factory, provided a different perspective: “Our workers were celebrating Holi peacefully. Then some youths, led by Amit Mallik, attacked them without any reason. Our worker, Jaydeb Sutradhar, was injured and is undergoing treatment in Raiganj Medical College & Hospital.” Biswasroy Sarkar, the Inspector in-charge of Raiganj Police Station, stated that an investigation into the incident has commenced to ascertain the facts and determine the sequence of events leading up to the clash.