Kolkata, June 7: Two leaders from the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal have been arrested by police in separate cases. This includes a current councilor from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and a former legislator from the party. Both face charges of extortion, corruption, and other allegations.
The councilor, Bappaditya Dasgupta, was arrested on Saturday by the police from the Patuli police station for extortion. Upon arriving at the station, a crowd gathered and chanted “thief, thief” against him.
Bappaditya Dasgupta was previously associated with the BJP. In 2010, he joined the Trinamool Congress with the help of former minister Partha Chatterjee. He first became a councilor after winning a by-election in 2015 and was later appointed as the chief whip of Trinamool councilors in the KMC after winning again in the 2021 municipal elections.
He is accused of being involved in vandalism against several BJP workers’ homes following the 2021 assembly elections. BJP leaders claim that Dasgupta and other Trinamool leaders participated in the violence that occurred after the elections. Additionally, he faces allegations of taking bribes in exchange for granting construction permits to local residents.
In another case, former Trinamool Congress legislator Sujoy Hazra was arrested on Saturday night by police from the Medinipur assembly constituency in West Midnapore district. According to police, he was apprehended at a railway station while allegedly attempting to flee the area.
Police stated that Sujoy Hazra had been on the run since May 4. Multiple complaints have been filed against him for land grabbing, extortion, and other offenses.
District Superintendent of Police Papiya Sultana reported, “The police had been closely monitoring Sujoy Hazra’s activities. He had been hiding for quite some time. He faces several charges, including land grabbing and extortion. He was called to the Salbani police station for questioning and was later arrested at Kharagpur railway station. The investigation is ongoing.”
Authorities confirmed that investigations into both cases are continuing.
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