Kolkata, Sep 29 (IANS): The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday quashed an old case related to raids by the West Bengal Police at the rented residence of Suvendu Adhikari, then opposition leader, at Kolaghat in East Midnapore district during Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
The controversy dates back to May 2024, during the Lok Sabha elections, when the state police raided Adhikari’s rented house at Kolaghat. The police then claimed that they had done so to arrest a wanted criminal.
Adhikari, as the then Leader of the Opposition, countered the police’s claims and alleged that the raids were conducted to harass him during the Lok Sabha polls. A case was filed in court, where the police maintained its earlier statement.
However, the police submitted a report to the Calcutta High Court, in which they claimed that nothing suspicious was found after the search at Adhikari’s residence that day. A blank seizure list was prepared, and the investigation did not proceed further.
Adhikari was not present at the residence when the raid took place, as he was attending a political programme elsewhere. He alleged that around 80 police personnel were involved in the operation. The incident triggered protests from local BJP leaders and supporters, who confronted the police at the site and exchanged heated words with the cops.
After hearing the news, Adhikari reached the Kolaghat Police Station, where he entered into an altercation with the cops on duty. Suvendu complained that he did not see any officer at the police station when he reached there.
He also accused the police of not following the protocols in cases of raids and search operations. He also indirectly accused the Trinamool Congress general secretary and the party’s Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, as the mastermind behind the police action.
Adhikari then approached the Calcutta High Court and accused the staff of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), which was acting as the poll strategist of the Trinamool Congress, of accompanying the policemen during the raid and search operations.
After examining the matter, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday finally quashed the case, bringing the legal proceedings to a close.
