Kolkata, Feb 10 (IANS) Rabindranath Bhattacharya, the Trinamool Congress councillor who has been suspended and arrested on charges of culpable homicide involving a senior citizen, has a long history of criminal behaviour, with multiple police complaints lodged against him previously.
Sources within the police department reported that numerous allegations have been made against the Trinamool councillor, including misconduct towards police officers, hindering the investigation process, and the harassment and assault of ordinary citizens.
A complaint letter submitted by the former Commissioner of Barrackpore Police, Manoj Verma, to the Chairman of the State Bar Council concerning Rabindranath Bhattacharya’s criminal behaviour has surfaced. In this letter, Verma detailed several grave accusations against the councillor, who was apprehended on Sunday night.
The then Police Commissioner of Barrackpore stated that five cases had been filed against Bhattacharya in three years, 2017, 2019 and 2020. All of these are based on complaints filed at the Barrackpore police station. He has also mentioned it in detail in the charge sheet sent to the Chairman of the State Bar Council, said police sources.
There, he also mentioned that on July 19, 2014, a case was registered against Bhattacharya under the Arms Act at Barrackpore Police Station. The police added several more sections to that case against the then-BJP leader and lawyer Rabindranath Bhattacharya.
According to police sources, on July 20, 2020, during the investigation of a complaint lodged by a local individual, several police officers, including the officer-in-charge of Bijpur Police Station at that time, encountered the ire of lawyer Rabindranath Bhattacharya. He faces accusations of hindering police operations within the Barrackpore Sub-District Court. At that moment, allegations of misconduct were also directed at Rabindranath. This issue was referenced in the charge sheet prepared by the former Barrackpore Police Commissioner.
Manoj Verma also made a plea to the Chairman of the State Bar Council to take action against him as a lawyer. A copy of that charge sheet was sent to the Calcutta High Court Registrar, the State Advocate General, the State DG, the District Judge of North 24 Parganas and various levels of administration.
A section of the legal community believes that this charge sheet by former Commissioner Manoj Verma himself makes it clear how helpless the police are in the face of the violence of the powerful lawyer.
It was learnt that the lawyer’s power increased after becoming a Trinamool councillor.
Lawyer Rabindranath Bhattacharya commenced his political journey by aligning with Congress. Subsequently, he transitioned to the BJP. Nonetheless, it is claimed that he gained significant power after joining the Trinamool. On one side, he was a prominent lawyer in the Barrackpore court, while on the other, Rabindranath secured a party ticket for the municipal elections with ease, owing to his connections within the influential circles of the ruling party. In 2022, this Trinamool leader was nominated from Ward No. 23 of North Barrackpore Municipality. He also achieved victory in the council election. Since that time, lawyer Rabindranath’s influence has notably expanded.
Regarding the matter, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, Indra Badan Jha, said, “It could be an old case from a long time ago. Still, we have to look into it. It is not possible to say anything about this without knowing. However, I can say this much that the previous case has nothing to do with the murder case. It is a completely separate case.”
On Sunday night, the Trinamool Congress suspended its councillor Rabindranath Bhattacharya in Barrackpore of North 24 Parganas district following the death of an octogenarian man after being beaten by the councillor.
Barrackpore MP and Trinamool president of the Dum Dum-Barrackpore organisational district, Partha Bhowmick, met with the deceased’s family members and announced the decision to suspend the accused Trinamool leader.
The incident stemmed from an illegal construction right next to the elderly man’s house. Tulsi Adhikari (81), a resident of Manirampur, had recently written to the North Barrackpore Municipality protesting the illegal construction. He alleged that Rabindranath Bhattacharya, the Trinamool Congress councillor of local Ward No. 23, had taken no action.
On Sunday morning, while making his way home, Councillor Rabindranath confronted the younger son of the elderly man, Hemanta, and subjected him to verbal abuse, reportedly labelling him a supporter of the CPI(M). After arriving home, Hemanta relayed the incident to his elderly father. Subsequently, Tulsi Babu, accompanied by his younger son, proceeded to a nearby tea stall to express their protest. At this juncture, the councillor from the ruling party escalated his aggression even further.
It is alleged that the councillor verbally abused the elderly man in front of his son, pushed him, and even kicked him. The elderly man collapsed unconscious after the attack. He was rushed to the Jagadish Chandra Bose General Hospital in Barrackpore Cantonment area, where doctors declared him brought dead.
The family, later in the day, lodged a complaint against the councillor at the local police station. Based on the complaint, the accused councillor was subsequently arrested. Following the development, the party suspended the councillor for six years.
–IANS
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