FIR filed against Bengali actor Samrat Mukherjee for assault on maid

KOLKATA: Cross-FIRs were filed by a prominent television actor and his domestic help at the Haridevpur PS, sparking a legal face-off involving allegations of theft by the help and physical assault on her by the actor.

The incident unfolded recently at the Haridevpur residence of actor Samrat Mukherjee. A joint CP and a DCP, who are leading the probe, confirmed that both sides lodged formal cases, with the police initiating parallel probes to verify the conflicting timelines.

According to police, the immediate flashpoint was a ring going missing from the house in the third week of May. The maid, who was employed at the residence for barely a month, became the primary target of suspicion.

Family members of the victim alleged that she was earlier subjected to routine verbal humiliation over missing household items but endured the treatment due to extreme financial hardship.

The confrontation escalated when a search of the premises failed to yield the ornament. In her formal plaint, the worker alleged that she was wrongfully confined inside a room and subjected to a humiliating strip-search against her will.

When the search yielded nothing, the situation turned violent. The victim claimed she was assaulted with a stick, sustaining deep gashes to her hands, forehead and body.

Even after she collapsed to the floor bleeding, she was allegedly kicked repeatedly. The victim was later rushed to a local hospital, where she received five stitches on her head before her family lodged a late-night complaint.

Confirming the double FIRs, a senior officer said the actor's wife, Moyna Mukherjee, filed the initial complaint alleging theft against the help. In retaliation, the domestic worker lodged a counter-complaint accusing Samrat of wrongful restraint, assault and outraging her modesty.

This is not the actor's first run-in with the city police. Mukherjee was earlier in the news in Aug 2024, when he was arrested by the Kolkata Police following a high-profile car crash in Behala. His speeding vehicle rammed into a 29-year-old motorcyclist, who was shifted from MR Bangur Hospital to SSKM Hospital with severe injuries.

The Haridevpur police are currently reviewing medical reports and will issue notices to both sides in this regard.