Man next to Mamata Banerjee a cop, not sand mafia: Bengal police on Suvendu Adhikari’s tweet

The West Bengal Police, in response to Suvendu Adhikari's claims, stated that they are "false" and that the man standing next to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a cop, not a sand mafia.

The Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, tweeting a picture of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Rampurhat, the scene of Tuesday’s arson, circled out a man, identifying him as Tulu Mondal, allegedly notorious for operating illegal stone and sand quarries in the state.

“It's alleged that his mafia syndicate hoards these resources and siphons off huge amounts of royalty which otherwise would have been deposited in the government’s treasury,” Adhikari wrote.

“His stronghold over Administration & unholy nexus with high profile people is evident. I am sure, whenever this person would be apprehended by law enforcement agencies, CM would say that thousands of people attend her meetings, how would she know about their whereabouts!!!” Subhendu Adhikari further wrote, alleging that the person possesses disproportionate amounts of properties in the country and abroad.

The West Bengal Police, refuting Adhikari's claims, said that the allegations have been done with mischievous intentions.

In a tweet, the West Bengal Police said that claims made by Suvendu Adhikari are “false and done with a mischievous intention to malign and defame”.

“The person in question is ASI Subrata Batabyal, who is posted at the Directorate of Security and is a part of the Close Proximity Team of Mamata Banerjee. “It is unfortunate that social media platform has been used for spreading canard,” it said.

READ | Suvendu Adhikari skips Bengal BJP's mega review meet in Kolkata