A GST and customs department officer was allegedly attacked inside his flat by a group of men who intruded into the apartment situated in a gated community in Rajpur on the southern edge of the city on Thursday night, ransacking his residence and leaving him with injuries that resulted in bleeding.

The attack followed a minor crash between customs officer Pradeep Kumar’s car and an autorickshaw outside the housing society the same evening, police said on
Sunday.

An altercation had taken place between Kumar, 42, and the auto driver on Thursday evening. Later in the night, a large group of men forcefully entered Deeshari Megacity in Rajpur, proceeded to Kumar’s rented apartment on the fourth floor of tower 11, and broke open a collapsible gate to access the apartment.

The officer alleged that despite repeated calls, the police did not come, claiming that they were short of manpower as their teams were busy with the Kali idol immersions.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the case till Sunday evening. They have been granted bail, said a police officer.

“There was a small incident outside our building. I was on my way home when an autorickshaw scraped against my car. I expressed my discontent and questioned the driver about his reckless driving. In response, he became furious and initiated a confrontation. I also raised my objections. Following this, I proceeded to our residence. A short while later, approximately 250 to 300 individuals forcefully breached the main gate, invaded my home, and assaulted me,” Kumar, who sustained lacerations on his forehead, stated.

Kumar said that he had contacted the police station’s number precisely when the miscreants were in the process of breaking down the door. The police informed him that their teams were overseeing immersions.

“The police did not come all the while. After the miscreants left, I called Sonarpur police station again. This time I told them that the men had left, and at least now they should come. The police came even after some time,” Kumar added.

“The men barged in and went straight to Kumar’s flat, around 300m from the main gate. They pulled out the collapsible gate and entered his house and attacked him,” said Gora Bose, vice-president of the Megacity Association of Apartment Owners.

“The vandalism continued for half an hour,” he added.

Members of the association alleged that despite repeated calls, police did not respond immediately.

“I called the cops around 10.15pm, but they said they were not available as both vans were on Kali Puja immersion duty. They said they would try to reach as soon as possible,” said Nitesh Bansal, secretary of the association.

Senior police officers of Baruipur police district did not respond to calls or text messages from this newspaper, seeking reactions to the allegations till Sunday evening.

This newspaper has reported similar incidents of violence across the city last week post Kali Puja — starting from men forcing into a house in Garia to drag out the woman of the house for protesting against bursting loud crackers close to the house — to assault on a couple in Parnasree and an elderly woman off Elgin Road for protesting against use of DJ and loud crackers respectively.

Police sources said autorickshaw driver Azizul Gazi was arrested in connection with the attack inside Deeshari Megacity on Friday and granted bail the next day. Three others were arrested on Saturday. They were produced before the court on Sunday and granted bail.

The three were identified as Azad Ali Mondal, Suraj Ali Mondal and Aloke Mandal.

Sources said they had been charged under sections of trespassing, causing grievous hurt, wrongful restraint, robbery and mischief.

“My clients were produced before the court on Sunday and the court had granted them bail because the complaint was against unknown persons and there was no mention about my clients,” said defence lawyer Chandrani Sengupta.

Police said efforts were being made to identify the other accused in the case.

A disturbing video footage has emerged showing Kumar bleeding from his head and his black T-shirt torn. Kumar is seen sitting helplessly in his house, which is seen ransacked. The video is believed to have been captured minutes after the attackers had left.

“There is no law and order in the state. If a person is not safe inside his own house, then where is the law and order?” Kumar said.

“They hit me on my head from various angles. Someone hit me just above my ears, as a result, I am unable to open my jaw properly,” he said.