Kolkata, Nov. 5 -- MAITC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday accused Diamond Harbour Police of planting Rs 1.02 crore at a vacated party office in Sarisha to frame the Opposition party, demanding the removal of Home minister Suvendu Adhikari and criminal proceedings against the district's Superintendent of Police.

Addressing a Press conference alongside Magrahat West MLA Samim Ahmed, Abhishek produced a complaint sent to Diamond Harbour Police on May 22, with a stamped acknowledgement dated May 23, warning that arms, ammunition or cash could be planted at the premises.

He said the office had been handed back to its landlord on May 21 and vandalised the following night by BJP supporters. The premises, he pointed out, had subsequently remained sealed for two to three months and were investigated as a crime scene.

Questioning the recovery from the premises months later, Abhishek alleged that a black XUV300 used by the officer-in-charge of Diamond Harbour police station transported cash there between 1 am and 3 am on November 4. He claimed to possess video footage showing the vehicle arriving and bags of money being unloaded. Alleging that CCTV recordings were subsequently removed, he challenged the police to file a case against him, promising to produce the evidence before court.

He also alleged that his personal assistant Sumit Roy, who is currently in police custody, was forcibly taken to the premises and threatened with an encounter. Roy's wife has filed a police complaint, he said, adding that Roy had told his lawyer that police personnel were already present with bags of cash before he was brought there.

Abhishek further alleged that SP Chandrashekhar Bardhan summoned Ahmed on November 2 and threatened him with arrest unless he fabricated statements against Roy. He claimed Ahmed was subsequently pressured by Ritabrata Banerjee to invent allegations against him. He also alleged that police stations were used to prepare affidavits supporting Ritabrata, with elected representatives coerced into signing them.

Demanding an independent CBI probe, Abhishek sought examination of CCTV footage, call records, IPDR data and mobile tower locations to establish the sequence of events. He also demanded that all police officers involved face individual accountability, irrespective of whose instructions they followed.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.