Tamluk (West Bengal): The West Bengal Police filed Tuesday a suo moto case against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and 14 others at the Tamluk police station. This development came in less than 24 hours after the Nandigram MLA threatened to transfer a police chief to Kashmir. Suvendu Adhikari asked Purba Medinipur police chief Amarnath K to ‘refrain from doing something that would prompt his transfer to Kashmir’s Anantnag or Baramulla’. Adhikari and his associates were booked under various sections of the IPC, including the one which deters a public servant from discharging his duty.
The BJP MLA, in his message to the SP during a party meeting Monday, said, “Do not file fake cases. I have evidence to prove that they are fake… I will file a public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe into such allegations. Please do not do anything that would prompt your transfer to Kashmir’s Anantnag or Baramulla.”
The Nandigram MLA narrowly defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Assembly elections held earlier in the year. He also said he has ‘details of all calls made to you (SP and other officers) by the office of the nephew (TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee).’ Adhikari added that ‘if you have the state government to support you, we have the Centre by our side’.
Also read: West Bengal: FIRs filed against Suvendu Adhikari, brother and aides
The SP, confirmed about the case being lodged. “We have lodged a suo moto case against Mr Adhikari. He claimed that he has all call records. Since he is not working in the law enforcement, he should not be having them,” the senior police officer said.
Adhikari is facing multiple police probes, including one related to alleged tarpaulin theft. He had further asserted that it would be best if police officers carry out duties without prejudice. He also hailed the NHRC report on Bengal’s post-poll violence which stated that the situation in the state is a manifestation of ‘law of the ruler’ and not the ‘rule of law’.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) state general secretary Kunal Ghosh countered Adhikari’s allegations. “He is threatening to approach the CBI, but he is the one who should first be arrested by the agency. Everybody knows why he joined the BJP despite having got so much from the TMC. He is simply staging a drama,” Ghosh said.
Adhikari, who crossed over to the BJP from the TMC ahead of state elections, is one of of the accused in Narada sting operation case. The case is being investigated by the CBI.