On the evening of 23rd October, auto driver Azizul Gazi led a group of 50 to 60 people into a condominium, broke into the fourth-floor apartment of customs inspector Pradeep Kumar and proceeded to attack him and even his wife in front of their frightened 4-year-old daughter. The incidnet transpired in Sonarpur area of South 24 Pargana district. The house to which he relocated a year ago was also vandalised. The incident was captured on CCTV camera.
The two sides got into a heated altercation earlier when Kumar’s SUV bumped into the three-wheeler while attempting to manoeuvre through a procession for Kali Puja immersion. The Sonarpur police station received frantic calls from the victim and other Deeshari Megacity residents, but the officers were preoccupied with overseeing Kali Puja immersion. The perpetrators had fled by the time the cops arrived, forty minutes later.
Kumar who is originally from Uttar Pradesh sustained head wounds. “As the assault continued, we thought our end was near. They broke the iron grill and its lock, and beat me. They also smashed my head and pushed my wife. I suffered injuries on the forehead, neck and chin,” Kumar expressed.
Colleagues and Bengal BJP leaders brought him to Kalyani AIIMS for treatment. “Police should investigate the matter. If the common man is not safe, what is the point,” he further asked.
According to Gazi, Kumar tried to extort money from him and beat him. “The customs officer and the auto driver both lodged complaints against each other,” police informed. An eyewitness stated Gazi and other others continued to hit Kumar’s car as they pursued him all the way to the housing complex gate. Kumar drove in despite the gate being blocked by them.
“Around 200 people had gathered at the gate. Our two guards could do nothing. Around 50 people scaled the gates and rushed towards Kumar’s flat. We were all at the spot. They pushed us while making their way in,” disclosed Gora Bose, vice-president of the residents’ association of Deeshari Megacity.
On 24th October Gazi was taken into custody and was charged with robbery, causing grievous hurt, mischief, trespass and wrongful restraint, all bailable offences and was released the next day. Same charges were slapped against three others including another auto-driver named Azad Ali Mondal on 26th October and they were also out of jail within hours.
BJP launches stinging attack on TMC
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari also met with Kumar and promised him assistance. He termed the culrpits as “TMC goons” and highlighted that “Gazi, happens to be a close aide of Nazrul Ali (husband of Sonarpur Uttar TMC MLA Firdousi Begum).”
He stated that Gazi “along with 200 TMC workers gathered outside the main gate of the apartment complex. Later over 50 goons illegally and forcefully breached the gated society, barged into the officer’s flat, beat him brutally, injured his head, misbehaved with his family members and vandalized his home.” He also pointed out the lack of response from the authorities.
TMC goons storm into Central Excise Officer; Shri Pradeep Kumar’s apartment in Rajpur; Sonarpur (outskirts of Kolkata), vandalise his home, smash his head.
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) October 26, 2025
This is the total collapse of Law & Order in West Bengal.
Today, I visited Shri Pradeep Kumar to show solidarity. What… pic.twitter.com/GLSj3KXJRY
“If a serving Central Government Officer living in a gated complex can be attacked with impunity, No one is safe in West Bengal anymore. Under Mamata Banerjee, there is no law, no order, only TMC’s Goonda Raj. This jungle raj must end,” Adhikari declared.
“So, has the Hon’ble Chief Minister handed over the law and order of the state to these milch cows,” BJP leader Agnimitra Paul asked referring to TMC votebank politics. She wrote that Gazi was “known to be extremely close to Nazrul Ali, the husband of Firdausi Begum, the MLA of Sonarpur North constituency” and added, “All the attackers are active Trinamool Congress workers.”
So, has the Hon’ble Chief Minister handed over the law and order of the state to these “milch cows”?
— Agnimitra Paul BJP (@paulagnimitra1) October 26, 2025
This time, their target is a Customs Officer! What began as a minor dispute soon turned violent the attack on the Central Excise Officer was reportedly led by an auto driver… pic.twitter.com/7lKV9JdvSN
“So, is it true that the police were too afraid to act promptly simply because of the attackers’ political connections? How much lower will the Hon’ble Chief Minister stoop? How much further,” Paul inquired.
How the incident unfolded
The offenders reached the condo gate on Dwarir Road, off Southern Bypass at approximately 9:50 pm. The two guards at the entryway were swiftly overpowered by the crowd, which then rushed through the roughly 350 meters from the entrance to Tower 11, before dividing into two groups. One group used lift while the other took the stairs.
The hooligans smashed open the wooden door of flat 4B, pulled apart the collapsable gate, and stormed in. They pushed Kumar’s wife as she attempted to protect him and constantly struck him in the face and head. Kumar stated that he attempted to call the Sonarpur police station twice but was informed that the officers were on “Kali Puja immersion duty.” When other locals called the police station, which is around 6 kilometres from the complex, they reported receiving the same response.
