TMC men booked after firearm, cash seizure at Surendranath College

Kolkata: Cops probing the recovery of a firearm and two suitcases stashed with cash — most of it destroyed by termites — from the college union room at Surendranath College on Tuesday have booked two Trinamool Congress functionaries under the Arms Act, criminal trespass, criminal intimidation and sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Muchipara police station has registered a criminal case against former governing body member Debasish Bandyopadhyay and vendor Paritosh Dutta, accusing them of illegally occupying rooms within the college premises.

Investigators alleged that Bandyopadhyay and Dutta entered into a criminal conspiracy and forcibly locked several rooms on the ground floor of the college, including the students’ union room, using them for their own purposes over an extended period.

The case stems from discoveries made by college authorities on Tuesday during a clean-up drive ahead of the monsoon season. Police said that around 4.30 pm, college officials broke open the padlock of a ground-floor room and found two suitcases allegedly filled with soiled and damaged Indian currency notes.

Later, around 9.45 pm, another search of the union room in the presence of the principal and students reportedly led to the recovery of a single-shot, country-made firearm.

“We are now attempting to determine why a weapon was stored inside a college union room and whether it has any connection with the other items recovered during the searches,” said a senior officer of Kolkata Police.

Police said, Bandyopadhyay, a former member of the college governing body, and Dutta allegedly ensured that the union room and several ground-floor rooms remained under lock and key for years. Investigators suspect the rooms were being used for unauthorised purposes. Cops have summoned both accused in connection with the allegations.

ABVP on Wednesday staged a protest at the college gate, demanding an ED investigation into the cash recovery. On Tuesday, two suitcases packed with termite-eaten cash were recovered from a locked storeroom at the back of the college, reportedly amounting to at least Rs 60-70 lakh or more, as one college source claimed. Apart from cash, two furnished bedrooms with attached bathrooms and even a box of contraceptives were also recovered from an almirah in a common room. BJP MLA Sajal Ghosh directly pointed to Debashish Banerjee and Sibashish Banerjee for allegedly using the 100-year-old building for personal use.

The principal, in his complaint, alleged that the accused threatened college authorities whenever they were asked to hand over the keys to the locked rooms. These allegations are also being examined as part of the investigation.

While TOI tried to get reactions from Debashish Banerjee and his son Sibashish Banerjee, both phones were unreachable. However, TMCP president Trinankur Bhattacharya’s posts in a WhatsApp group were leaked, in which he accepted his “failure”. Before the committee became defunct, Bhattacharya posted on the WBTMCP district president group, stating: “Now several unbelievable things will happen around us which would pain us to believe. Don’t take much pressure for these things because when a storm comes people have to take shelter, but one day this storm will end — that I believe.” However, Bhattacharya did not respond to calls seeking an explanation of his remarks.