Kolkata, August 24: A leader of the Trinamool Congress has been arrested on charges of extortion, assault, and collecting a hefty fine from an individual. This incident occurred in the Bankura district of West Bengal.
The arrested individual, Bipattarun Garai, a former block president of the Trinamool organization, was taken into custody on Saturday night. He allegedly extorted ₹20,000 from Karunamay Pal, a resident of Jemua village in the Mejia block, under the pretense of securing a house through a government housing scheme. Furthermore, it is reported that Garai assaulted Pal and evicted him from his home when he protested against the payment. Later, after extracting a fine of ₹50,000, Pal was allowed to remain in his residence.
Recently, Karunamay filed a complaint at the police station regarding this matter. Based on this complaint, the police arrested the Trinamool leader on Saturday night.
The arrested individual was presented in the Bankura District Court on Sunday.
According to sources from the police and the Bankura District Court, this incident occurred in January 2021. The complainant stated that Bipattarun, the then-president of the INTUC Mejia block, exploited his influence in the area to extract money from him under the guise of facilitating a house through the government scheme. Consequently, he was compelled to pay the amount.
Later, the complainant discovered that the Trinamool leader had similarly extorted money from several other villagers. When he raised his objections, he was assaulted and evicted from his home. A few days later, the complainant returned to his village after paying ₹50,000. The police have registered a case against the accused leader for extortion, assault, betrayal, and fraud.
While being taken to court on Sunday, the Trinamool leader claimed that he was being falsely implicated due to political reasons. The police confirmed that a case has been filed against the accused based on the complaint, and an investigation is ongoing.
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