Abhishek Banerjee’s aide moves Calcutta HC for anticipatory bail amid arrest warrant

Sumit Roy, executive assistant to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, approached the Calcutta High Court seeking anticipatory bail after a West Midnapore court issued an arrest warrant against him in an alleged land-grabbing case. Police are continuing efforts to trace him

Kolkata: Amid an arrest warrant issued against him by a district court in West Midnapore district of West Bengal on Monday, Sumit Roy, the executive assistant of Trinamool Congress’ general secretary and the party’s Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, has moved the Calcutta High Court through his counsel with a plea for anticipatory bail.

Roy, currently absconding, is wanted by the cops of Salboni Police Station in relation to a first information report (FIR) registered against him in the same police station in relation to an illegal land-grabbing case in the same district.

---

A few days ago, the police arrested Sujoy Hazra, a former MLA from Medinipur Assembly constituency in the same district, in a land corruption case. He is still in police custody. However, it is not clear whether Sumit Roy is involved in that case.

On Monday, Roy’s counsel Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay approached the single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta with the anticipatory bail plea. The bench allowed the petition to be filed. However, it is yet to accept the plea for a fast-track hearing. It is not yet clear when the matter will come up for its first hearing.

Already, a large section within Trinamool Congress, who had held Abhishek Banerjee responsible for the landslide defeat of the party in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, has also accused Sumit Roy of being a key link in all the corruption-related cases wherein his boss’s name has come up.

Suspended Trinamool Congress spokesman, Riju Dutta, had told media persons that the arrest of Sumit Roy would result in the rolling of many top heads in the Trinamool Congress. Dutta had also expressed apprehension of a life threat for Roy in the prevailing situation.

Recently, a joint team of Salboni Police Station, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Kolkata Police personnel conducted prolonged raid and search operations at the residence of Abhishek Banerjee at Kalighat Road in South Kolkata in search of Roy.

It was learnt that the raid and search operation at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence was conducted after Roy’s mobile phone was tracked in the area.