Kolkata: Trouble has deepened for Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee after a fresh FIR was registered against him and his absconding personal assistant, Sumit Roy, at the Bishnupur Police Station in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district Saturday.
The case relates to the Sebashray health camp organised in Abhishek’s Diamond Harbour constituency during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.
The FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by the owner of a private tourist resort, who alleged that Abhishek, Roy and several of their associates illegally occupied the property to conduct the health camp.
According to the complaint, the resort was forcibly taken over for nearly 40 days, preventing it from operating as a tourist destination and causing substantial financial losses.
The complainant alleged that the resort management was compelled to provide accommodation and food for doctors and other staff engaged in the health camp. The entire expenditure for these arrangements, he claimed, had to be borne by the resort authorities without any compensation.
The resort owner estimated the total financial loss at more than Rs 25 lakh. He also alleged that local Trinamool workers threatened to vandalise the property if permission for the camp was denied, leaving the management with no option but to comply.
Based on the complaint, the Diamond Harbour District Police registered an FIR against Abhishek Banerjee, Sumit Roy and several others under relevant provisions of law.
The latest FIR comes on a politically significant day, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari scheduled to address the West Bengal Assembly on the state government’s ongoing investigation into allegations surrounding the Sebashray health camps during the final day of the six-day extended session.
The issue had already gained momentum Friday when Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Debangshu Panda, representing the Falta Assembly constituency, raised allegations of corruption linked to the Sebashray camps in the Assembly.
Samiran Roy, who filed the complaint on behalf of the resort, said the accused were “highly influential”, which prevented the owners from approaching the police earlier.
“We remained silent out of fear. Only after the change of government in the state did we gather the courage to file a complaint,” he said.
