Ex-panchayat head accused of fake OBC, Bangladeshi origin attends TMC's July 21 rally

Lovely Khatun, the former head of Rashidabad Gram Panchayat in Malda’s Harishchandrapur, was seen participating in the Trinamool Congress’s 21 July rally at Kolkata’s Gitanjali Stadium. Khatun had earlier lost her panchayat post after allegations of submitting a fake OBC certificate and claims of being a Bangladeshi national. A video from the rally showed her making reels with other Trinamool workers at the event.

Following the allegations, the panchayat post was annulled, and the district Trinamool unit had publicly distanced itself from her. Despite this, she was present at the high-level party gathering in Kolkata. A case related to her citizenship and forged documents is still pending before the Calcutta High Court. Recently, a new petition was filed seeking the cancellation of her membership and her arrest.

The BJP alleged that the Trinamool Congress is protecting Bangladeshi infiltrators by allowing individuals like Khatun to participate in official events. The CPM questioned, “When the fake certificate has already been proven and the post has been revoked, why has her membership not been cancelled and why has she not been arrested?” The matter remains under judicial consideration.