Interior designer attacked for refusing to pay Rs 1 lakh as ‘protection money’; 2 arrested: ‘Assaulted, dragged to club, thrashed again’

KOLKATA: An interior designer, Sudipto Ghosh, on Saturday lodged a complaint at the Baranagar PS, claiming he was dragged out of his Baranagar home and taken to a club, where he was thrashed by an INTTUC member and his aides after he "refused to pay Rs 1 lakh as protection money". Two of the accused, Rahul Jadav and Ayush Kundu, were arrested.

The incident has started a political slugfest between BJP and Trinamool.


In the FIR, Ghosh named five persons, including INTTUC president of Baranagar zone Shankar Routh, and a TMCP functionary, alleging extortion and assault. But Routh claimed no such assault took place, though the businessman was called to a club for a discussion.

Barrackpore CP Praveen Tripathi said, "Two persons seen in the CCTV footage have been arrested. The rest will be arrested, too. No one involved will be spared."

Ghosh, who lives in Bonhooghly, claimed he had been receiving calls, demanding Rs 1 lakh. "On Friday night, some men came to my flat and threatened me. They said ‘dada', meaning Routh, told them to take me to him.

They assaulted me and dragged me to the club, where I was thrashed again," Ghosh said, adding the amount was reduced to Rs 70,000. "After I escaped, I was first taken to Baranagar State General Hospital and then, RG Kar."

CCTV footage of the reported assault was widely circulated on social media though TOI could not independently verify its authenticity.

Even as BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh threatened to gherao police station if no action was taken against the accused, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "It's an untoward incident but the opposition is giving it a political colour. The designer did not finish a work at a Barasat lawyer's house despite a full payment. He should have responded amicably when he was called but he did not. It indicates nothing about lack of law and order in Bengal."

Baranagar Trinamool MLA Sayantika Banerjee said, "There is no political link."

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