Trinamool veteran MP Mala surrenders in Arms Act case

Kolkata: Trinamool veteran and Kolkata South MP Mala Roy surrendered before the chief judicial magistrate at the Alipore Court on Wednesday. The court granted bail to Roy, her son and the 22 co-accused.

Beyond her parliamentary role, Roy is a councillor and the KMC chairperson.

The surrender follows a criminal case registered against her, her son and 22 others at the Tollygunge Police Station for alleged assault on a BJP worker and threat at gunpoint on the poll result day.

According to police, the case pertains to an FIR at the Tollygunge PS, under which Roy and the other accused are booked under Arms Act and BNS sections, including Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation, 115 for voluntarily causing hurt and Section 74 for using criminal force with intent to outrage a woman's modesty.

The prosecution's case states that around 6 pm on May 4 — hours after the election results were declared — Roy, her son and Trinamool workers, armed with firearms and sharp weapons, launched an assault on BJP workers on Sadhu Taracharan Road. "The complaint said one of the accused outraged the modesty of a female BJP worker," a Tollygunge PS officer said, adding one person was earlier arrested for the clash.

Denying the allegations, Roy defended herself and termed the legal action "a targeted smear campaign". Roy claimed to TOI that this was a politically motivated FIR. "Everyone knows about my health condition. Is it possible for me to physically threaten anyone? This is a false and motivated FIR in order to harass me and my family, along with the workers. I went to court myself around 2 pm and surrendered myself," said Roy.

Roy's defence counsel, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, said the charges lacked substance. "False allegations were levelled against Roy, her son and 22 others that they assaulted BJP workers on May 4. The FIR was lodged on the same day, on the basis of a complaint, lodged by a BJP worker. Roy, her son and a few other persons on Wednesday surrendered before the chief judicial magistrate in Alipore court. They were granted bail," Bhattacharya told reporters at Alipore court on Wednesday.