Police on Wednesday arrested Trinamool Congress state vice-president and spokesperson Jayprakash Majumdar following allegations that he had illegally occupied a flat in Bidhannagar for nearly 14 years and misbehaved with its elderly owner.
According to police, the flat at AE-337 in Salt Lake belongs to Arati Roy Chowdhury, who has accused Majumdar and his family of refusing to vacate the property despite receiving legal notices.
“She also alleged that she was subjected to threats and abusive remarks when she sought possession of the flat,” a Bidhannagar City Police officer said, quoting Roy Chowdhury.
A group of people gathered outside the flat on Wednesday to protest the alleged occupation of the apartment. During the demonstration, Majumdar allegedly got into an altercation with some protesters and reportedly assaulted a few of them.
Police sources said Majumdar had rented the apartment in 2012. The rent agreement expired in 2015 and was not renewed thereafter, making his continued stay allegedly illegal.
Police reached the spot after receiving information about the disturbance and detained Majumdar from the premises. He was later formally arrested and taken to Bidhannagar North police station.
Roy Chowdhury reportedly told police that she had been unable to effectively pursue the matter during the previous regime because of Majumdar’s political influence.
Majumdar joined the Trinamool in 2022 after being suspended and later expelled by the BJP. Soon after joining the party, he was appointed a state vice-president.
Before joining the Trinamool, Majumdar was a BJP state vice-president. He was suspended by the party in January 2022 over alleged anti-party activities. He had publicly stated that he had not voluntarily quit the BJP but joined the Trinamool after being expelled.