Legal troubles for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) continued to mount on Wednesday with the state police arresting former Bengal minister Udayan Guha and registering two fresh corruption cases against TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Udayan Guha is the fourth minister of the previous Mamata Banerjee government to be arrested
The two fresh FIRs have been filed against Abhishek on complaints by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Abhijit Das, who unsuccessfully contested from the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2024.
Guha, who was picked up from his house on Wednesday morning and placed under arrest, is the fourth TMC ex-minister to be arrested after the Suvendu Adhikari-led government came to power. Earlier Sujit Bose, Ujjwal Biswas and Dilip Mondal were arrested by the police and the Enforcement Directorate on charges of cheating, extortion and threatening people.
“Guha has been arrested from Kolkata by officers from Dinhata police station in connection with a cheating case. He is being brought to Cooch Behar for further investigation,” said a senior police officer from Cooch Behar.
Guha did not to respond to questions while being taken to Cooch Behar.
A Dinhata-based businessman lodged a complaint against Guha, alleging that the former North Bengal development minister had collected money from several people to set up a facility for newborns at a sub-divisional hospital. The money was allegedly never used.
“He demanded ₹ 50,000 from me. After some negotiation the amount was reduced to ₹ 25,000. But I was given a receipt of ₹ 10,000 only. I was also threatened when I demanded the receipt for the full amount I had paid,” Rupam Saha, the complainant, said in Dinhata.
Meanwhile, the two FIRs registered against Abhishek is in connection with the alleged cheating of relief funds after Cyclone Amphan in May 2020 and the alleged illegal sale of soil excavated from government land. One case, registered at the Kalitala–Asuti police station, relates to the alleged illegal excavation of soil from government land near Joka on the southwestern fringes of Kolkata. The second case was registered at the Bishnupur police station in connection with the alleged siphoning of relief funds.
Banerjee was questioned by the state police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 14 and June 16 in connection with two separate cases related to alleged inflammatory speeches and an alleged signature forgery case. On June 15, he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools.
While Abhishek could not be contacted, there was no response from the TMC either till around 5 pm.
Read the full article at Hindustan Times →📄Source document: Senior police officer from Cooch Behar
4 reports
Hindustan TimesIndependentRight4 days agoBengal police arrested former Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Udayan Guha and registered two new corruption cases against TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The arrests come amid ongoing legal challenges for the TMC, with Guha being the fourth former minister from the previous Mamata Banerjee government to face arrest since the current government took office. The FIRs against Banerjee were filed based on complaints from BJP leader Abhijit Das. Guha was arrested in connection with a cheating case, allegedly involving demands for money to establish a facility for newborns.
Bias read (Right): The article frames the arrests of TMC officials in a manner that emphasizes their political affiliation and highlights the involvement of a BJP complainant, which could imply a narrative favoring the ruling party or opposition. The focus on TMC ministers being arrested without significant counter-nu
Official sources cited
- government Senior police officer from Cooch Behar
- other Dinhata-based businessman
Hindustan TimesIndependentCenter5 days ago TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee grilled for 6 hours by CID in ‘provocative speech' caseAbhishek Banerjee, a senior leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), appeared before the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for questioning related to a first information report (FIR) filed against him for allegedly making provocative speeches ahead of the West Bengal elections. The FIR was registered based on a complaint by a local resident following the BJP's victory in the recent assembly polls. Banerjee has faced multiple instances of questioning by various authorities, including the CID and the Enforcement Directorate.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual details about Abhishek Banerjee's appearance before the CID and provides context regarding the FIR and previous questioning. It does not exhibit overtly biased language, one-sided sourcing, or editorializing. The framing remains neutral, focusing on procedural aspects of
Official sources cited
- government Bidhannagar police
- government Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
The HinduIndependentCenter7 days agoThiruvananthapuram Corporation BJP councillor R. Sugathan is facing 19 criminal cases. Youth Morcha has organized protests against his arrest.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information without apparent ideological framing. It mentions the number of criminal cases against a BJP councillor and notes a protest by Youth Morcha but does not exhibit clear bias in language, sourcing, or emphasis.
Hindustan TimesIndependentCenter11 days ago New FIR against Abhishek Banerjee for 2018 attack on local Bengal BJP leaderA new first information report (FIR) has been registered against Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in connection with an alleged December 2018 attack on a BJP leader, Abhijit Das alias Bobby. Das claimed he was severely injured during the attack and filed a complaint with the police, though he says no satisfactory action was taken. The police confirmed the FIR was registered and stated that investigation is ongoing. TMC leaders have not yet commented on the matter.
Bias read (Center): The article presents facts without overtly favoring either side. It includes direct quotes from the complainant and official police confirmation, providing balanced coverage of the situation without apparent ideological framing or biased language.
Official sources cited
- statement Complainant Abhijit Das alias Bobby
- statement Diamond Harbour Police District Officer
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