BARASAT: A former headmaster and Rabindrasangeet singer, who had no enemies in the area until he decided to contest the civic elections, was allegedly beaten by police at Colony More in Barasat on Tuesday night.

The attack on Chanchal Biswas has angered the civil society so much that they are launching an agitation on Thursday to have the cops booked.

A known face at addas at Colony More, the septuagenarian Biswas chatting with his friends near Badu police outpost on Tuesday when some plainclothes policemen came out and started beating him. "I don't know why they attacked me. I do not see any political hand behind this," he says.

After getting his injuries tended to in hospital, he met the SP on Wednesday and filed a complaint with the SDO. "But police have initiated a case yet," Biswas told TOI.

Barrackpore additional SP Bhaskar Mukherjee said: "We are yet to receive any official complaint in connection with an alleged attack on an elderly candidate. If we get it, we will look into it seriously."

Biswas cycles the 7km from his house to Colony More nearly every day to meet friends, gossip and sing some songs. "Politics was never my cup of tea. Some well-wishers wanted me to contest the polls. I did," he said.

What's interesting, 'Chanchalda' is popular with all political parties. "He regales us with his songs and stories when we come back tired after a day of campaigning," says Trinamool supporter Panchu Roy. The Congress candidate took selfies with Bisaws when he came to campaign. And on the day Biswas went to file his nomination, the outgoing chairpersons of Barasat and Madhyamgram municipalities — both from Trinamool — had themselves photographed with him.

However, some well wishers had warned Biswas. "We feared something of this sort and tried to stop him from filing nomination. But the simple old man prevailed upon us and joined the fray, spending money from his paltry pension," said Kanu Banerjee.

He had no difficulty getting 10 people to propose and second his candidature. "Even Trinamool leaders provided some. He is a true independent candidate," said Mohua Mitra Das. The alleged police attack has triggered anger in the area. Many people not affiliated to any political party took the assault as an affront to civil society and have pledged to stand by him in the run-up to the civic polls.