The Bengal Police have registered an FIR bringing molestation charges against National Investigation Agency officials and CAPF men who had gone to Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore district to arrest some Trinamool Congress goons in connection with a blast in December 2022 leading to three deaths. The TMC threatened to move the Supreme Court against NIA action in Bengal to scuttle TMC’s chances in the State.
The FIR was registered against the NIA team and CRPF officials based on a complaint from a woman who alleged that she and her husband were assaulted by the officers and that her modesty was outraged. The case was registered at Bhupatinagar Police Station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 325, 34, 354, 354(b), 427, 448, and 509.
The police action came a day after the NIA officials were attacked by a band of local TMC men. The NIA picked up two local TMC leaders for questioning. In the skirmish that followed on Saturday a couple of officials sustained minor injuries while one of their vehicles was damaged.
Saturday’s incident came about four months after a team of Enforcement Directorate officials were attacked and injured by the men of Sheikh Shahjahan, a TMC strongman and a leader at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas.
The FIRs come in tandem with serious allegations being leveled by senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh who said the NIA action was the product of a secret meeting between a BJP leader and an SP of the force.
“On March 26 BJP leader Jiten Tewari was seen going to this SP’s house at New Town in Kolkata with a packet … let him contradict and then we will release the relevant video that will land him and his political bosses in a bigger trouble,” Ghosh said adding his party was considering filing a petition in the Supreme Court against the NIA action.
“This is very much clear that they are digging up old cases and sending the ED, CBI, Income Tax and NIA to arrest and harass our workers… because they know that they will not win the elections,” Ghosh said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an election rally at Dhupguri criticised the TMC Government for letting loose the TMC goons on the central agencies to stall investigations against corruption and other illegal activities.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the other hand hit back at the Centre for sending agencies to disturb his party candidates.
Calling the attack on the NIA officials a Sandeshkhali 2.0 BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “It was not just a coincidence but a well thought out experiment. It was a state-sponsored attack on the NIA officials. The attack was organised by the ruling TMC,” while BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya said “attacking a Central agency means attacking the Indian Constitution.”
CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakrabarty too said the entire game plan is being planned by the Chief Minister. “What do you expect when the CM herself is sending a message that the Central agency cannot act against them?” he said.
