Former TMC MLA Atin Ghosh, his daughter Priyadarshini Ghosh and his son-in-law have been booked for illegally occupying a three-storey bungalow and an adjoining piece of land worth ₹4 crore, in the eastern part of Kolkata. The police said on Wednesday (24th June) that properties have reportedly been illegally occupied for about 9 years. Ghosh has been issued a notice asking him to appear before the police in person.
According to police, a case was registered against Atin Ghosh, his daughter Priyadarshini Ghosh, and his son-in-law based on a complaint lodged by a businesswoman, Kamalini Paul, in Bidhannagar. The complaint said that the former Kolkata deputy mayor, his daughter and son-in-law forcibly acquired the plot of land along with a house in eastern Kolkata’s Pragati Maidan area from her at a price much lower than the market value. “My father had built the house at Metropolitan and bequeathed it to me through a will before his death. Atin Ghosh’s daughter liked the property after seeing it. We were later pressured into giving it up,” the complainant said.
Complainant said she was forced to sign away her property
Priyadarshini Ghosh said that Atin Ghosh’s daughter and many of his supporters visited her residence, threatened her and forced her to sign property-related documents. “They came to my house, intimidated me and made me sign documents in their presence. I never had possession of those documents afterwards,” she said.
The complainant said that ₹50 lakh was deposited in her bank account against her wishes as an advance payment for the property. “They told me that they wanted the property and would take it even if I refused. I was told that I had no idea of their influence and power. ₹50 lakh was deposited into my account. I later returned the money with interest, but instead of accepting it, they allegedly got my account blocked by showing it as a fraudulent transaction,” the complainant said.
The FIR was reportedly lodged at the Pragati Maidan Police Station under Kolkata Police and was later transferred to Bidhannagar North Police Station for investigation as the property falls under its jurisdiction. It includes charges relating to land grabbing, criminal intimidation, cheating, and conspiracy. The police are examining the documentary evidence submitted by the complainant as the investigation in the case is underway.
Ghosh and his daughter deny the allegations
Atin Ghosh and his daughter have denied the charges against them, describing them as baseless. They said they would file a defamation suit against the complainant for the “false and malicious charges against them”. Ghosh said that he does not know the complainant and that his daughter purchased the house. He added that his 5-decade-long political career has been spotless. “I do not know the person who has filed the complaint. My daughter had purchased a property from them. In my 50 years of political life, nobody has been able to level any corruption charge against me. If the police call for an investigation, I am prepared to cooperate with them,” he said.
“The allegations are completely false. It is they who cheated us. We have all the necessary documents to prove our position,” Ghosh’s daughter said.
