Bengal Police arrest Trinamool Councillor Bibhas Mukhopadhyay over extortion charges

Kolkata, June 11 (IANS) Bibhas Mukhopadhyay alias Manu, the Trinamool councillor from Ward number 4 of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, has been arrested by the police on charges of extortion, police said on Thursday.

The police arrested the Trinamool Councillor from a hotel in the Eastern Metropolitan bypass area adjacent to Garia on Wednesday night.

After the arrest, Bibhas Mukhopadhyay was taken to his house and office.

It is alleged that at that time, a section of local residents protested around the Trinamool Councillor and shouted slogans of ‘thief, thief’.

It is also alleged that eggs were thrown at him, following which the police conducted search operations at various places.

According to the police, there were allegations of extortion of money in several areas during the previous Trinamool-led state government’s tenure against Bibhas Mukhopadhyay.

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government came to power in the state, three Councillors of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality have been arrested.

Bibhas Mukhopadhyay’s close aide Papai Ghosh was also arrested on the same night.

It is alleged that money was extorted from various places through Papai Ghosh.

Efforts are being made to question Bibhas Mukhopadhyay and Papai Ghosh and to collect more information.

On the other hand, police and municipal officials have recovered a large number of government and relief materials from the under-construction toilets and Trinamool Congress’ office in Ward 23 of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality.

The list includes street lights, tarpaulins, cement bags, buckets and bleaching powder. They were allegedly not distributed to the common people when needed.

Chandra Ghoshal is the Trinamool Congress Councillor from Ward 23 of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality. Before her, her husband Soumen Mohan Ghoshal was the Trinamool Councillor.

Debprasad Chakraborty, President of Mandal No. 3 of Sonarpur Dakshin Assembly constituency, alleged that government goods were illegally stored and when needed, they were not distributed.

A section of the residents of the area alleged that extortion had been going on in the ward for a long time.

BJP worker Nitai Majumdar claimed that commission was taken from contractors involved in government project work and if the commission was not paid, they were not allowed to work.

However, when asked from Councillor Chanda Ghoshal on all these allegations, she did not comment.

The police have already confiscated the recovered government goods.

An investigation into the incident has been launched.

–IANS

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