The door of a ransacked room of Vimal Kumar Sahi. Picture bySanat Kumar Sinha

Police teamed up with local toughs to ransack his house on Poila Baisakh for protesting against illegal constructions and refusing to pay extortion money, a lawyer has alleged in a complaint to senior officers.

Vimal Kumar Shahi, who practises in Calcutta High Court, had planned to perform puja on Bengali New Year’s day as a prelude to starting an office in two of the four rooms he occupies as a tenant at 23A Mofidul Islam Lane in Beniapukur.

In the complaint to S.N. Sarkar, the additional commissioner (1), and other officers, Shahi has accused Tarun Kumar Mitra, the office-in-charge of Beniapukur police station, of engineering the attack.

Shahi has said: “I was shocked to learn that the two rooms were ransacked by two officers of Beniapukur police station and a couple of goons on Monday night.

“When I went to the police station today to complain the officer-in-charge asked me to leave. He threatened to put me behind bars when I asked him why my two rooms were ransacked.”

Mitra refuted the allegation. “It’s untrue. Why should the police vandalise his house? We will nevertheless inquire into the charge.”

The alleged attack occurred on a day officers at all police stations in the city were instructed by their superiors to offer a glass of water and a rose to people visiting them.

Sarkar said: “Shahi called me up and told me everything that happened. I asked him to give a written complaint to the deputy commissioner (eastern suburban division) and forward a copy to me.”

Shahi said the hostility started some eight months ago after he raised his voice against illegal constructions.

“The local goons and a section of officers turned against me as they used to make money from the illegal constructions. They warned me of dire consequences.”

When he wanted to open an office, the toughs and some police officers demanded money.

“The goons threatened to evict me if I did not pay them but I refused. Last month, when I went to Beniapukur police station the officer-in-charge refused to take my complaint,” Shahi said.

Getting no help, he moved Sealdah court on April 11, seeking protection. The magistrate directed Beniapukur police station “to see that opponents are restrained from doing any wrongful act which may cause any annoyance to the petitioner”.