Eggs, tomatoes thrown at ex-Bidhannagar Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta

Former Bidhannagar Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta was arrested in an alleged Rs 1 crore extortion case in Kolkata. As he was being escorted by police, people threw eggs and tomatoes at him. Dutta has a history of switching between TMC and BJP.

Eggs and tomatoes were thrown at former Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta while he was being taken away from a police station on Tuesday following his arrest in connection with an alleged extortion case.

Dutta was being escorted by police personnel when people hurled eggs and tomatoes at him, prompting security personnel to shield him as they moved him into a vehicle. Bidhannagar North Police had arrested Dutta earlier in the day over allegations that he demanded Rs 1 crore from a businessman and issued threats, officials said. He is scheduled to be produced before the Bidhannagar Court later in the day.

Dutta's Political Journey

Dutta, a prominent political figure in West Bengal, has had a shifting political journey over the years. He began his career with the Congress, later joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), where he became the first Mayor of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. He switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019 and returned to the TMC in 2021. He has also served as MLA from Rajarhat New Town and recently contested the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections from Barasat, where he lost to BJP candidate Sankar Chatterjee by a margin of 34,558 votes.

Crackdown on Political Figures

The arrest comes amid a series of high-profile detentions of political figures in West Bengal in recent weeks in connection with various cases being probed by law enforcement agencies.

Arrests of Other TMC Leaders

Earlier, former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Jahangir Khan was arrested by the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) in a joint operation with Darjeeling Police from Panitanki Bazar in a separate case linked to multiple charges under Falta Police Station limits. Following Khan's arrest, West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul had said that those accused of wrongdoing would not be spared. "Whether he is Pushpa or anyone else, those who have tortured and oppressed the people of Bengal have never been spared," she said.

TMC leader Tilak Kumar Chakraborty was earlier arrested in connection with an alleged job fraud case in Haldia, Purba Medinipur.

In a separate case, Kolkata Police arrested TMC leader Paritosh Dutta from Bardhaman in connection with the arms case linked to Surendranath College, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma confirmed.

Additionally, Panchayat officer and TMC leader Rajib Banerjee was arrested from Birbhum in connection with an alleged rice ration sale case. Authorities said investigations in all cases are ongoing.

TMC Faces Internal Split

These developments come amidst a dramatic split in the TMC legislature party, just days after the party lost power in West Bengal following 15 years in government. Nearly 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of Parliament have formally signalled their desire to break away from their party's current political trajectory and align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)