West Bengal Police conducted a major raid on Sunday at the residence of Tapan Chatterjee, the former Trinamool Congress MLA from Purbasthali North in Purba Bardhaman district. Acting on specific inputs regarding hoarding of government relief materials, Purbasthali Police searched the premises and recovered a large quantity of tarpaulins, blankets, footballs, volleyballs and other items intended to be distributed among people.
Chatterjee has been arrested by the police after the recoveries and is being interrogated by the police.
Visuals from the spot showed police personnel bringing out stacks of tarpaulins and blankets that were meant for distribution to people affected by natural calamities. It is evident that Tapan Chatterjee kept the items in his house instead of distributing them.
Along with the relief materials, hundreds of sports items like footballs and volleyballs were also found, generally meant for distribution in youth clubs and educational institutions. The items were reportedly stocked inside a room attached to the kitchen of the house. Central forces were deployed outside the TMC leader’s house during the raid by the police.
Tapan Chatterjee was detained by the police during the operation and is being questioned in connection with the alleged misappropriation of public relief supplies. Local residents raised ‘chor chor’ slogans against the former MLA as he was taken into custody. After the raids at his house, police are now searching several godowns linked to him.
This action is part of a continuing drive against the diversion and hoarding of government relief items by TMC leaders after the BJP govt came to power in the state. The recovery has once again brought into focus questions about the handling of public resources during the Mamata Banerjee government.
In the last few days, similar recoveries and arrests involving TMC leaders have taken place across the state. In North 24 Parganas, Baduria Municipality Chairman Dipankar Bhattacharya was arrested after police found large amounts of cash and thousands of government tarpaulins from his properties. In Purba Medinipur, relief tarpaulins were recovered from areas linked to former TMC MLA Tarun Kumar Maity. Other TMC functionaries have also faced action over extortion, arms recovery, and hoarding of relief materials.
