A dispute over control of the 128-year-old Panihati Sporting Club has escalated after BJP MLA Ratna Debnath was accused by club members of attempting to take over the organisation and its ground, allegations she denied.
The controversy surfaced after the club gate was found locked when Debnath arrived for a Bijoya Sammilani on Saturday. She returned the following day with her husband, Shekhar Debnath, and collected the keys from club employee Robin Mondal, according to the report.
Debnath said the locked gate would not prevent the development of the ground. “Locking the gate cannot stop the development of the ground, nor can it stop me,” she said.
Club member Tapan Das accused the MLA of attempting a takeover, while Arun Ray Chowdhury alleged that club property had been damaged. Debnath denied the allegations. She said the club secretary had resigned and handed responsibility to her, questioning whom she was expected to inform before acting.
“The secretary has resigned and handed over the responsibility to me. So, whom should I inform?” Debnath said.
The dispute also involves allegations linked to an earlier election at the club. Former secretary Rajarshi Ball said he was assaulted after the May 4 assembly election results and alleged that he was told everything connected with the ground had to be handed over to the new group.
“They assaulted me there. They said everything related to the ground had to be handed over to them,” Ball said, according to the report. The supplied account does not include details of a police case, an independent inquiry or any official administrative order concerning the alleged assault or property damage.
The latest confrontation follows a football tournament held at the club ground days earlier. During that event, Shekhar Debnath had alleged that his wife was insulted. The report does not provide further details of the alleged incident or identify any formal action taken in response.
The dispute has drawn political criticism as well. Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh questioned whether a club could be taken over after an election because the results had gone a particular way. “Just because election is over and the results have gone a certain way, does that mean clubs can be taken over?” he asked.
The competing accounts place the club’s internal administration, access to its ground and control of its property at the centre of the dispute. The material available does not establish who has formal legal control of the club, whether a valid leadership transition occurred, or whether any authority has intervened. The immediate next steps remain tied to the club’s management and any action by law-enforcement or civic authorities over the allegations.
