Rotten eggs rained on former north Bengal development minister, who was also the Dinhata MLA Udayan Guha till recently, on his home turf on Thursday while he was on his way to court after being arrested on corruption charges.
Angry people shouted "chor (thief)" slogans and threw eggs and slippers at the prison van of the once-influential Trinamool Congress leader outside Dinhata police station and later near the local court premises. Dinhata town in Cooch Behar stayed tense throughout the day.
On Wednesday, Guha was arrested from his residence in Calcutta’s Phoolbagan by a team of Cooch Behar district police.
Around 5.30am on Thursday, Guha was brought to the Dinhata police station. A little later, he was taken to the local subdivisional hospital for medical examination before being produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court.
Anticipating a strong public reaction, the police deployed heavy security outside the police station, but people had already started crowding the area with rotten eggs, slippers and shoes.
Cops parked a prison van directly in front of the police station gates and restricted people's movement. Guha was made to wear a helmet while being escorted out of the police station.
Despite the precautions, the situation turned volatile when the prison van left the premises. Protesters allegedly chased the van and pelted it with eggs and shoes. Some even attempted to block it. Police and central forces brought the situation under control before Guha was escorted to court under tight security.
According to police sources, Guha was arrested in connection with a case based on a complaint lodged by florist Gopal Saha of Chowrahat Market in Dinhata. Saha alleged he was forced to pay ₹43,000 to get a house under the government’s ‘housing for all’ scheme.
According to the complaint, Saha initially paid ₹25,000 and later another ₹18,000 to Guha on the assurance that his application would be approved. Saha’s wife, Gopa, a cook by profession, claimed the family was in severe financial distress and had borrowed that money from relatives.
“We lost our elder son in a road accident and have to take care of another son who is physically challenged. Despite our hardships, we were compelled to arrange the money,” Saha's wife said.
On June 11, Saha filed the complaint. Cops started the investigation and eventually arrested Guha from Calcutta.
“I am a poor man. I run my family by selling flowers. I got the house, but I had to pay him money. That is why I approached the police,” Saha said.
Amid tight security, Guha was produced in court, which ordered him six days in police custody.
Sanjay Barman, the additional public prosecutor, said that when Guha chaired the Dinhata municipality between 2015 and 2020, beneficiaries under the ‘housing for all’ project had to "officially" deposit ₹25,000 for the assistance of ₹3.68 lakh.
A receipt from the municipality was given for ₹25,000, which was illegal. Barman alleged that on top of the ₹25,000, under Guha’s instructions, an extra sum of ₹18,000 to ₹20,000 was illegally collected from each beneficiary.
Nearly 2,220 beneficiaries were allegedly forced to pay illegal amounts amounting to around ₹4.5 crore, Barman alleged.
“The case involves allegations of abuse of official position, cheating, misuse of government schemes and criminal conspiracy. The court has granted Guha six days in police custody to ensure a comprehensive investigation. He will be produced in court again on June 24,” said Barman.
Jaspreet Singh, the superintendent of police of Cooch Behar, said that the investigation was on. “Allegations are being investigated with utmost seriousness. Complaints have surfaced regarding the illegal collection of money from multiple beneficiaries. Every aspect will be examined thoroughly,” he said.
Police sources indicated that investigators were now looking into many other complaints related to fund collection in the name of government schemes and initiatives. Among these is a complaint filed by Rupam Saha against Guha and others with Dinhata police on June 12, where he alleged that funds were collected from people for so-called infrastructural development at the local hospital through coercion.
Cops are also probing a separate case linked to fake building plans of Dinhata municipality under Guha's tenure, in which some arrests have already been made.