Police on Wednesday seized nearly Rs 1.03 crore in cash from an office belonging to rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Samim Ahamed in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, triggering a political confrontation between the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction and the BJP-led state government. The cash was recovered during a raid at the office of the Magrahat Paschim MLA in the Sarisha locality of Diamond Harbour, allegedly following information obtained during the interrogation of Sumit Roy, an arrested aide of local TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Additional Superintendent of Police of Diamond Harbour police district Abhishek Majumdar confirmed the seizure at a press conference and identified the premises as an office of Ahamed. Roy, who is in police custody in connection with alleged financial irregularities, is being questioned to establish the nature and details of the transactions, police sources said. Ahamed, who was elected from Magrahat Paschim on a TMC ticket before joining the party's rebel legislative camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee, did not respond to queries about the seizure.
𝗧𝗠𝗖 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction accused the Suvendu Adhikari government of using the police to fabricate evidence and target political opponents.
In a post on X, the party alleged that the BJP government, acting in collusion with West Bengal Police, was attempting to manufacture a case without credible evidence.
The party claimed that its representative Maidul Islam had lodged a police complaint on May 22 after the office building was allegedly vandalised by miscreants the previous day.
It said the complaint had specifically warned that unlawful or incriminating material might subsequently be planted inside the premises to implicate party members.
According to the faction, Wednesday's developments appeared to reinforce those earlier apprehensions.
The party also accused the state administration of applying different standards in handling complaints, alleging that no meaningful action had been taken over the May 21 attack while police moved swiftly over the cash recovery.
It warned that officials found to have participated in unlawful actions would face appropriate legal proceedings.
The allegations of planted evidence have not been independently established.
𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀
Meanwhile, Arka Nag, a lawyer associated with the Mamata-led TMC's legal cell, alleged that Roy was threatened with an encounter killing while in police custody and was forcibly taken to the room where the cash was being counted.
Nag claimed that Roy was taken to Diamond Harbour Women's University early Wednesday morning, where officers allegedly warned him that he could meet the same fate as two accused persons recently killed in separate police encounters if he refused to cooperate.
The lawyer further alleged that four police officers subsequently took Roy to the premises where the cash had been recovered, covering his face with a dark cloth.
According to Nag, Roy initially refused to enter the room but was allegedly forced inside at gunpoint.
"We have reasons to believe that Roy's life is at risk in state custody and we are taking legal measures to ensure his safety," Nag said.
The police have not publicly responded to these allegations, which remain unverified.
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱
Nag's allegations referred to two police encounter deaths reported in West Bengal on October 27, approximately 12 hours apart.
In the first incident, a 23-year-old man arrested in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a Class 11 student in North 24 Parganas district was killed during an encounter with police.
The second incident involved the prime accused in the murder of a BJP worker, who was killed following an alleged exchange of fire with Criminal Investigation Department personnel in Murshidabad district.
Police had claimed that the accused persons snatched firearms from officers and opened fire during crime-scene reconstruction.
Nag cited the incidents while expressing concern about Roy's safety and said the legal team would seek judicial intervention.
𝗕𝗝𝗣 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Responding to the cash seizure, BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar accused TMC leaders of collecting money through extortion and claimed that the amount recovered represented only a small fraction of the alleged proceeds.
"This is the tip of the iceberg. We believe that only one per cent of the loot has been recovered so far, and the rest remains hidden," Sarkar said.
The allegations of extortion have not been established through the reported seizure.
Police are continuing their investigation into the source of the recovered money, its ownership and any connection with the financial irregularities being investigated against Roy.
The seizure has intensified the confrontation between the rival political camps, with the Mamata-led TMC alleging misuse of police powers and the BJP demanding scrutiny of the financial dealings associated with the premises.