KOLKATA: A police inspector was suspended and two local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders arrested in separate cases in Bengal’s West Burdwan district on Thursday evening hours after chief minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a crackdown on criminal elements.
“Manoranjan Mondal, the officer-in-charge of Barabani police station was suspended on Thursday evening for allegedly neglecting his duty and indulging in activities not related to police work,” said a district police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity. The action comes after a video, showing Mondal celebrating the birthday of a local TMC leader inside his police station, emerged on October 30.
“An inquiry was ordered after that incident,” the official cited above said.
In another case, Aurobindo Nandy, a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor and Rintu Panja, a former TMC community block unit vice-president, were arrested from Durgapur on charges of stealing iron and steel from a factory that closed down years ago.
“Nandy and Panja were produced before a local court on Friday. The judge remanded them in police custody for three days. They have been accused of stealing goods from the premises of a factory,” Rahul Deb Mukherjee, the lawyer of the two TMC leaders, said.
Panja claimed that he was framed.
“A police officer asked me to drop in at the police station for 10 minutes, saying he had something to discuss. They arrested me when I went to see him,” Panja told reporters while being taken to court.
The action came hours after chief minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a crackdown on criminal elements at an administrative meeting on Thursday afternoon. The meeting was telecast live by several news channels.
Addressing director general of police Rajeev Kumar during the meeting, Banerjee said : “A section of government and police officials at lower level don’t love our government. They are taking money and helping sand and coal smugglers. If workers of any political party are involved in this, arrest them too. Strengthen the special task force and the anti-corruption branch. I will completely reshuffle the state CID (Criminal Investigation Department) as well.”
On Friday morning, while addressing a public meeting in East Midnapore district, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that a section of police officers were helping the Bharatiya Janata Party and CPI(M).
“Police officers helping for the BJP and CPI(M) should get this message. Do whatever you can but Mamata Banerjee will return to power again in 2026 winning 250 (of 294) assembly seats in the elections. After that we will send each of you to either Cooch Behar (in north Bengal) or the Sunderbans where you will be guarding the Bengal tigers. Start packing your bags,” Ghosh said in his speech.
Opposition leaders alleged that Mamata Banerjee’s focus on corruption in the police force and the arrest of the two TMC leaders in Durgapur was an effort to divert public attention from more raging issues.
“Mamata Banerjee’s warning and the police actions are an eyewash. It is an effort to divert public attention from bigger issues such as the ₹1,600 crore TMC got from some corporate houses through electoral bonds. If Mamata Banerjee wants then I can provide evidence of much bigger nexus between police and crime syndicates,” BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, said.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former state Congress president, said : “This is a drama. Some police officers will be made scapegoats to mislead people. I am quite sure TMC leaders are involved in the diversion of state funds sent to bank accounts of high school students for buying smartphones or tablets.”
Police investigation into the school fund scam has led to around two dozen arrests across several districts since last month.